S1 E14: Spooky Scary Skeletons in the Closet

Kenzie Tartaglione:

The content warning for this episode includes underage drinking, allusions to transphobia, death, and body horror.

Kenzie (MC):

The Blackthorn Manor Halloween party has been a staple of Wildmoore since years before Ivy came into the picture. Years before Sarah Moore went missing. Years before there was any sense of unease in the town. It began as a night when Gabriel and Bast would invite all of their friends. Once a year, the population of vampires in Wildmoore and humans, became closer than anyone would have liked it to. It expanded the night of debauchery to the citizens of Wildmoore, neighbors and friends, throughout the years. Though no one in attendance at these party could ever pinpoint exactly what happened there. There is a haze around them that people assume had to do with the copious amounts of free booze provided. And then when ivy came along, nothing much changed. It took a few more years and her begging her dad’s to invite friends for Halloween, for them to allow it. Parents and kids mingled alike. The number of out of town guests dwindled as the town became more involved. There were too many of them and they were too eye-catching. Whoever was on the receiving end of your father’s adoration when the party arose, would of course be around for the festivities, but otherwise, it was a time for pretend monsters.

Last year, the first year of high school, was the first time it seemed necessary to not have a mix. Your fathers handed you the reigns and sent out their regrets to the adults int town that the manor party now belonged to the youth. The guest list is of Ivy’s making, though unnecessary and foretold as the general consensus is that you don’t need an invite to show up. This year is a little bit different. The sense of betrayal, the idea that somebody they had trusted, somebody who had been brought into your home to stay, had in turn, put Ivy in much danger. They had not invited a single guest or allowed an old friend to stay at the manor for weeks. Even Eleanor wasn’t called for though no one had heard from her since your trip. Gabriel seemed to think she was okay but laying low, trying to find out more information about the dhampir and what the coterie’s reactions were to that situation.

What there was though was the lack of any sense of urgency. Neither Gabriel or Bast spoke about the need to run or hide. The only urgency they ever spoke about was getting the artifact from The Heart back before the winter solstice. It seemed that creatures of their years saw time differently.

Daniel Moore had reluctantly, on urging of his wife, reported Sarah missing to the Wildmoore police. It was immediately swept up under the current FBI investigation and for a few days the Moore property was scoured by agents. William Hook was clear about his disdain for this course of action. House business was house business. Getting any sort of authority involved would only make all of your lives harder. Bast and Gabriel were split on the matter. They could easily turn attention away if necessary but no one had any clue as to where Sarah disappeared to and the days were rolling by.

But that was all truly forgotten in the week leading up to Halloween for a couple reasons. For the first time since it’s anonymous inception, the Wildmoore Secrets TikTok featured a video including all of the house kids together, minus Annabelle of course. And while it exploited Natalie, it was really an attempt to take a swing at all of you. Highlighting Sawyer and Caleb’s kiss versus Natalie and Sawyer walking into Homecoming together. Adam and Ivy embracing during a slow dance versus the tear and mascara-streaked face of Natalie being carried by Ivy to be taken care of by Mrs. Hook. And the caption read, “It feels like a trick. Take a girl to a dance and then go kiss a boy. Cruel move. Best friends to lover is an adored trope. Getting back with your douche of an ex, not so much, Ivy.”

There was another video, shaky, unstable, bodies passing in front of the lens. But you could see the ballot table and you could definitely see someone pulling ballots out and shoving a handful of ballots in. The caption of this one, “What do we have here? Wouldn’t have though the golden couple needed to cheat to win. I think Principal Edwards is showing some favoritism.”

Which did send social reverberations. To make it clear, the face of the person doing the act was not visible, but the color of their jacket did not match any in your circles. That didn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t have been able to win, your names should never have been read. Seeing those results, the principal should have just crowned the seniors who got the most votes. But, he didn’t. And now, your win has been clouded. It’s too late to change it, Homecoming has gone and passed but it feels honestly like a communal letdown of the entire dance. Well, at least felt by those who hadn’t dealt with a possession situation the same night.

Seniors you had never met before began to show open animosity. Those on the Homecoming court more so. Katrina held her head high and mighty like she had some moral superiority over you, commiserating with the other elected. Not that she had had a chance at queen, also being a sophomore, but her social climbing had never been subtle. Adam just thinks people are jealous.

Kenzie (Adam Moore):

Someone obviously is trying to make people think we did this, Ivy. They’re trying to pin it on us when we had nothing to do with it. I don’t even care. It’s not like we were actual crowned. Just give it to whoever should have it.

Kenzie (MC):

The issue is that the stolen ballots weren’t anywhere to be found. The TikTok was the only evidence that anything had been messed with. And then, on a slightly more positive note, Gabriel and Bast had started the party preparations and decorating a week early, making your house feel like it was also in the middle of a flurry of activity. Though finding it an incredibly funny holiday to celebrate, humor in the same way that they collected vampire novels and movies, they weren’t kitschy about it. They turned Blackthorn Manor into a haunted mansion of sorts minus the jump scares. The kitchen and bathroom were filled with horror leaning apothecary. Spiderwebs and candles covered much of the empty surfaces making Blackthorn seem hundreds of years older than it was. The constant mist pouring in, rolling across the floors. Black feathers and crows, skulls. Golden candle holders and tarnished dishware. The house lacking anything on the pumpkin and cauldron front and every room was dimmed and darkened. They locked doors of the places they didn’t want people to go and threw open the doors of others. And of course, because your dads were nothing if not committed to the bit, their quote unquote costumes.

Gabriel ran his tongue across his teeth, fangs extending. Everyone thought they looked so real. Bast, covering his mouth and chin with blood as if he were a fledgling vampire that had just fed for the first time.

But more importantly, Adam lounging across your bedroom, costumed up how you wanted him, to perfection, waiting for you to finish. And even though it doesn’t necessarily match the costume, he has an eye patch pulled up sitting on his forehead. Because ever since Homecoming, his eye never went back to normal and he couldn’t think of an explanation other than demon possession, so the next best thing to do had been to lie.

You couldn’t fathom what Adam was saying. You believed him of course, but you couldn’t really know. Ever since the black ichor made its way into you, Ivy, there has not been a singular quiet moment. It’s not that the shadow talks to you all the time, in fact, it hasn’t talked to you since that night. But there’s a constant steady presence that could easily drive someone to the brink and it’s already started to have that affect. Everyone around you gets on your nerves easily. Someone simply passing you in the hall makes you want to jump out of your skin. While the anger doesn’t overtake, it festers. You can feel it always, a backdrop to whatever else you’re feeling. But another thingy you feel is a new type of power coursing within you. One that you don’t have control over. All of your sense blown even wider than usual, your needs consistently threatening to overtake your willpower and the morals you’ve set in place for yourself. You haven’t had a moment’s peace and the fact that Adam can lay there like that, on your bed, casually scrolling through his phone, excited for a party as if nothing else is going on, can only mean that he truly has been dealing with this for a significant amount of time.

Kenzie (Adam):

Ivy, are you almost done yet?

April Consalo (Ivy Duncan):

Will you give me like five more minutes please?

Kenzie (Adam):

I mean, you said that ten minutes ago.

April:

Ivy doesn’t answer. She just pulls down on her botton eyelid, putting eyeliner in her waterline. Her and Adam are going as Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain, with an eyepatch. She’s wearing trashed, ripped tights. A shitty, ripped slip dress. A little fur coat off of one shoulder and bright red smeared lipstick. Final touch is smudgy, running, black eyeliner, and a blonde wig. She has to admit she would be a hot blonde. She takes a step back from the mirror and takes a look at herself. At her two clear, gray eyes and she wonders if people can see it. If it’s as obvious to the outside as it is on the inside. She walks back into her bedroom and presents herself to Adam.

April (Ivy):

Well, what do you think?

Kenzie (MC):

When you presented this costume idea for Adam, he had no idea who these people were. But felt like he was in absolutely no position to argue and so he let you dress him up how you dressed him up and he says,

Kenzie (Adam):

You look hot, Ives. Like always.

April (Ivy):

Thank you.

April:

She goes over to him and puts her finger through a hole in his sweater. He’s wearing this black and red striped sweater, baggy, ripped jeans. She tried to get him to also wear a blonde wig but he wouldn’t do it so the effect isn’t complete.

April (Ivy):

So, how are you feeling about tonight?

Kenzie (Adam):

I’ve always liked the Halloween parties. I think they’re fun. I don’t know, I like seeing people in their costumes. Except for the ones that suck. I don’t really like those.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, no T-shirt boys here tonight.

Kenzie (Adam):

I mean, I’m sure they’re going to be some T-shirt boys here tonight. I couldn’t necessarily make sure everyone on the hockey team was like A-O-to-go a hundred percent. But I think they are a little scared of you, so they might have.

April:

She, for some reason, actually feels annoyed at the idea that someone would enter her dads’ house, that has been prepared for weeks, in a fucking, this is my Halloween costume T-shirt.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, maybe they should be scared of me. I feel a little scary.

Kenzie (MC):

He reaches up and rests his hand just on the left side of your jaw.

Kenzie (Adam):

Ivy, they’re coming tonight because like, it’s free booze and like your dads don’t care and they know that. So, I don’t know if you can really blame them, okay?

April:

She rolls her eyes.

April (Ivy):

Fine, I had to spend all of my energy getting you in this getup so I couldn’t really spend it on anyone else.

Kenzie (Adam):

I did it though!

April (Ivy):

Yeah, and you look hot too. How can you do this? Like does it ever get any easier.

Kenzie (MC):

His brow furrows and he cocks his head to the side a little bit.

Kenzie (Adam):

Uh… do us? This is always easy.

April:

She kinda smiles.

April (Ivy):

No, um, just like the noise. In your head. I don’t know, it’s like – it’s like a fluorescent light constantly inside my head just like buzzing or something like that.

Kenzie (Adam):

Oh, um, yeah I’ve pretty much had a consistent migraine for months but, you know, sometimes when something is daily, it just like becomes normal. So easier I don’t know, just like easier to ignore.

April (Ivy):

Hmmm… Okay.

Kenzie (Adam):

You didn’t have to do that. I know we’ve talked about it but –

April (Ivy):

It was all I could think to do. I’d always rather it be me than you. Anyway, I promise I will try my best to be fun party Ivy and not grumpy, mean Ivy tonight.

Kenzie (Adam):

Well, um, I’m gonna make that promise as well and I’m going to be by your side and we’ll just keep each other in check, yeah? You lash out and I go, “Uh maybe hold back a little bit?” and then I lash out and you go, “Adam, what the fuck are you doing?”

April (Ivy):

Yeah, you’re being an asshole.

Kenzie (Adam):

And then we’re like back to normal.

April (Ivy):

Of course.

Kenzie (Adam):

Yeah see, we checks and balances on one another.

April (Ivy):

Okay.

April:

She puts her arms like around his neck.

April (Ivy):

You always make me feel better so thanks for that.

Kenzie (MC):

He gives you a little peck on the lips and then his phone goes off and then he like over your arm kinda looks at it and laughs and then reaches his other arm across your body, almost cutting you guys off to text somebody back.

April (Ivy):

Who is that?

Kenzie (Adam):

No my brother’s just being stupid, it’s fine.

April (Ivy):

You guys are texting a lot these days.

Kenzie (Adam):

Well, I mean. Yeah, I’m trying. We’ll see - I mean, I just thought it was cool at Homecoming, all of us hanging out and it felt like old times and everybody seemed like they wanted to try to like, repair all the fucked up shit that was going on so I just am doing my darndest.

April (Ivy):

Adam, I’m not making fun of you. I’m really happy about it. I mean Caleb and I are buds now too, it is good.

Brennan Hershock:

Adam gets a text.

April (Ivy):

Okay, who’s that now?

Brennan:

It says, in all caps,

Brennan (Sawyer):

ZOINKS. What’s up Scoob?

Brennan:

And then you get another text that says,

Brennan (Sawyer):

Now you say something like, “Rut ro, Raggy.”

Kenzie (Adam):

Uh, well this is our other derelict friend. I think one of us forgot to tell them that we weren’t doing the Scooby gang.

Brennan:

And then I send a gif that’s just Shaggy and Scooby flossing together.

April:

Ivy leans over to look at the texts.

April (Ivy):

Fuck.

Kenzie (Adam):

Should we break the news when they get here or should we take a selfie and send it to them?

April (Ivy):

No, I think we should just let them see it in person.

Kenzie (Adam):

Yeah you’re right we should just let them see it in person.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, it’s a pretty (laughs)

Kenzie (MC):

Caleb, you get a text that says,

Kenzie (Adam):

Yo, where are you and when you getting here?

Mads McDonough:

From my brother? My brother that was supposed to drive me? That one? Because I don’t know about him but I have been sitting at my kticeh ntable, with Sam, dressed up, because he said, he said, two hours ago, “Oh, yeah, I just need to grab something. I’ll be right back.” And I said, stupidly, “Okay.” So, I look at my phoen and I just stare up and off into the mid distance, I just hear static crackling behind my ears drums. I take a really deep breath in (deep breath) and exhale on a hard groan.

Mads (Caleb Moore):

So, biking?

Kenzie (Sam):

I’m wearing a skirt.

Mads (Caleb):

So, biking.

Kenzie (Sam):

He’s gotta like stop doing this to us. This has like happened twice, okay? Twice!

Mads (Caleb):

Sam, my buddy, my pal, my superstar…

Mads:

I place one of my hands on Sam’s shoulder and squeeze and say,

Mads (Caleb):

It’s much more than two times.

Kenzie (Sam):

To me and you at the same time.

Mads (Caleb):

You’re an extension of me at this point, I don’t think it counts.

Kenzie (Sam):

Fuck, okay, I mean, is that the only way we can get there. Like your parents wouldn’t give us a ride? Like you couldn’t just call your dad from wherever he’s putzing.

Mads:

I look around to the empty house and I go,

Mads (Caleb):

Hey, can we get a ride?

Mads:

And wait for it to echo and stare at Sam for dramatic effect.

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb, I meant wherever he is, around the property. I didn’t mean in the house.

Mads:

I’m about to snip back a little retort and then I stop because I never ask my dad if he can just give me a ride somewhere. I just assume that Adam’s going to do it and if I panic, then I usually call my mom because my mom strikes the fear of god into Adam to do it. But like, this could be a missed resource. A father figure doing thigs for me? That’s not… I open up my phone and I scroll through my contacts, find my dad. He usually doesn’t answer back with texting that well, so I’m gonna call him.

Kenzie (MC):

The phone rings a couple times and then you hear,

Kenzie (Daniel Moore):

Yeah, Caleb, what’s up!?

Mads (Caleb):

Hey are you busy right now? Are you in the middle of something? Are you -?

Kenzie (Daniel):

Um… a little. A little bit, what’s going on? What do you need?

Mads (Caleb):

We were going to go over to the Duncans for the Halloween – me and Sam – we’re going to go to the Duncans and Adam’s like there already because he’s Adam and he forgot me again. Couuld you take us, or are you – you said you’re busy right now? That you’re doing something.

Kenzie (MC):

You hear like when somebody pulls the phone away from their ears and there’s a little space and then you just hear,

Kenzie (Daniel):

Hey, stop! Stop it!

Kenzie (MC):

And then,

Kenzie (Daniel):

Uh, yeah, can you give me like ten minutes? ‘Cause I think some sort of vine out here gained sentience in that last couple days. Um, just like – I got you. Just like ten minutes and I’ll be home, kay?

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, yeah, sure, thank you. Thank – good luck.

Kenzie (MC):

Hangs up.

Mads (Caleb):

I love you too. Yeah, he’s comin.’

Kenzie (Sam):

Cool! Game plan. Do we have a gang plan? Scooby gang, game plan.

Mads (Caleb):

Well, do we need a gameplan? I didn’t – have you ever been to one of these parties before?

Kenzie (Sam):

Last time we went to a party, we had a game plan.

Mads (Caleb):

Last time we went to a party, you ended up in the hospital.

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, that’s because halfway through – not even halfway through the party – you threw the gameplan out the window!

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, I threw the gameplan out of the window, I think you threw the gameplan –

Kenzie (Sam):

We said one hour and then you said, “No, we’re not staying for just one hour because your little boyfriend came up to you and was like you’re staying for longer now and you were like, yeah (laughs) yeah Sam, we’re staying for longer. So then, if we hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have fuckin’ gotten drunk and jumped off the stage.

Mads (Caleb):

Correction. He was not, last the time, he was just him, at the time, no influence to anything that we were doing with the plan. You jumped off a stage. Sam, you popped pills and you jumped off a stage.

Kenzie (Sam):

But that happened after that first hour we were there. All I’m sayin.’ All I’m sayin’!”

Mads (Caleb):

Okay so the plan tonight is that we’re going to be there for longer than an hour. I’m not specifying the time. You can’t get mad at me.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, great! Game plan: Party. Bad game plan but we’ll do it.

Mads (Caleb):

You want a better game – go ahead, go ahead. What’s the better gameplan Sam?

Kenzie (Sam):

Do you think I have ever once stepped foot into Ivy Duncan’s house? No! I don’t know what I’m doing.

Mads:

I lean back in the kitchen chair and cross my arms.

Mads (Caleb):

Well you weren’t wearing a skirt before if you were ever trying to get into the Duncan home and you are now, so the chances of you being in the house are higher. You know what, maybe we were just playing this wrong all along. We should’ve put you in a skirt much sooner.

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t know if this is – I’m trying to suss out what type of sarcasm you’re using here, Caleb. And you’ve stumped me for good this time.

Mads (Caleb):

Look if I don’t keep changing it up every day, you’re going to catch onto me too fast You already know too much of my business, Sam. Let me have my secrets.

Kenzie (Sam):

I’m watching you.

Kenzie (MC):

Jasper jumped onto the kitchen and just goes (meows) and looks at you both.

Mads:

I look at Jasper and I shrug a little bit,

Mads (Caleb):

Jasper, look, I’m doing my best.

Kenzie (Jasper):

(meow)

Mads (Caleb):

I know! They’re impossible.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, okay, I don’t need you two ganging up on me right now. I’m wearing a fucking skirt! Okay? I haven’t worn a skirt in so long. It makes me feel a little weird. But I did it for the group, okay? Because you guys are very kind and asked me join your little Halloween party thing.

Mads:

I unfold my arms and adjust my little orange ascot and then I reach forward to pick up Jasper under his tiny little cat arms and like plop him in my lap and then use his little hand to like reach forward so that it’s like I’m pointing at Sam with his little tiny hand while I’m doing this.

Mads (Caleb):

Well, you look really great in a skirt but if at any time, it gets a little too much, I do have a backup pair of pants that I’m bringing with us.

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb, that should’ve been – when I asked for a gameplan, that should’ve been part of the gameplan. That’s a good gameplan!

Mads:

I move Jasper’s little hand back so instead if have both of Jasper’s little arms in my hands and kind of make them go up and out so it’s like I’m making a shrug but with Jasper’s arms this time too.

Mads (Caleb):

I think of things! Just when they’re written down, like a plan, like. a bullet point thing it doesn’t work out that well, i. e. hospital visit.

Kenzie (Sam):

Well we’re going to avoid that this time because I wasn’t a fan.

Mads (Caleb):

Please. No, I didn’t like that either.

Kenzie (MC):

You hear the sound of the golf cart returning to the front of the house and then the door into the kitchen opening and your dad walks in, like mud across his face. You think there’s a little bit of blood mixed into that and he’s like,

Kenzie (Daniel):

Okay! Ready to go!

Mads (Caleb):

Ready to go? Are you ready to go?

Kenzie (Daniel):

I fixed the problem I was shaving.

Mads (Caleb):

The problem? The probl –

Mads:

And then I look at Sam.

Mads (Caleb):

The problem, right, got it.

Kenzie (Daniel):

The problem that I said on the phone. I fixed it, I hope.

Mads (Caleb):

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Lot of problems that could happen in the woods. Lot of problems.

Kenzie (Daniel):

Yep!

Kenzie (MC):

Grabs the dish towel out of the sink and just wipes his face with it. And you know if your mom saw that, she would be horrified. And he just drops it back in the sink.

Kenzie (Daniel):

Alright, let’s get goin’! I got stuff to do.

Mads:

I pick up Jasper and put him back on the kitchen table –

Kenzie (Jasper):

(meows)

Mads:

And pat his tiny little had and give him a tiny little smooch on his little tiny cat forehead. Little smooches for my little boy. And then pick up – I have a little shoulder bag, little messenger bag or something like that that I’m going to take with me – that does have the pants in it just in case. And then motion to Sam,

Mads (Caleb):

Let’s go!

Kenzie (MC):

You get a text from Adam and it says,

Kenzie (Adam):

Uh, I have good news and bad news.

Brennan:

Sawyer is longboarding currently over to the Duncan’s etsate. He has attempted to get rid of the perm by doing a variety of different things including cutting some of his hair himself, attempting to just blister his hair with how much he’s trying to straighten it at times. It’s a little greasy from how much conditioner he’s been putting in and for the most part, he’s roughed it into a half-curled, half-cut bowl cut as well as he’s attempting to stop the longboard and get into his pockets but the blow up, buff, Shaggy suit is difficult ‘cause the arm are so large to reach in, but he finally gets it. He’s also got his headphones in and he’s listening to “Werewolf Heart” by Dead Man’s Bones. But he texts back,

Brennan (Sawyer):

Good news first.

Kenzie (Adam):

Oh, no man, you’ll have to wait until you get here because it’s both the same news.

Brennan (Sawyer):

The news is equally good and bad.

Kenzie (Adam):

See you soon!

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s okay, nothing could really fuck up tonight. I’m so excited that we all chose to go as a group. This is something that I’ve been really excited about all week.

Kenzie (Adam):

Might just be bad news.

Brennan:

Choose to ignore. Put in pocket. Oh, also, I have brown marker on my chin. Just like brown sharpie.

Kenzie (MC):

As you’re coming down your driveway and hitting the sidewalk, you see a bus idling, fluorescent lights beaming into the night and then your eyes drag to the front of the bus. To the rusted metal pole. Probably once held a bus stop sign, but there hasn’t been a bus stop sign there since you were born. They just never removed the pole. And you remember Ivy saying something about a weird bus and a girl on said weird bus.

Brennan:

I’m going to get in my pocket through my giant muscles and pull out my phone and try to tap the camera, try to get a picture. Does it come up on my camera?

Kenzie (MC):

You see the sidewalk behind the bus and the pole and the hedges behind the bus. The bus isn’t there but there’s a strange outline of the bus where it looks like when it’s a really hot day and you see the heat rising off the road. It almost kinda looks like that in this photo.

Brennan:

I’ll take a photo.

Brennan (Sawyer):

(sighs) It’s a ghost bus. It’s a ghost bus.

Brennan:

And I’ll text the group chat with just us three,

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ghost bus!

Brennan:

And I’ll send the picture. And then I’m gonna take my longboard and I’ll pick it up and start walking toward the bus.

Kenzie (MC):

You see a driver in the front seat. Chubby, thirty something black man. Seems to havea kind smile on his face. You can see one head through the window.

Brennan:

I’ll mosey on over to the front of the bus and go up to the door.

Kenzie (MC):

As you come up you see him reach over and pull the lever back and the door opens and he goes,

Kenzie (Bus Driver):

You lookin’ for a ride? Last one of the day!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Where does the bus stop?

Kenzie (Bus Driver):

Anywhere you need!

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s incredibly vague. You don’t have like – there’s not like a system the city’s put into place. This is public transport, right?

Kenzie (Bus Driver):

This is public transport. Yeah, of course. It’s a bus.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Uh-huh.

Brennan:

I’ll take one step on and try and peek above the chairs.

Kenzie (MC):

As you do that, you see there are three people on this bus. You see one passenger, a girl, probably in her late teens. Denim jeans, Converse, T-shirt, leather jacket, Walkman. You see a young boy with dirty blonde hair. He’s got on a blue and white striped shirt and blue pants held up by suspenders. He has a hat that he’s just rolling in his hands. And there is an older woman with short brown hair in a green and blue mod mini dress with white heels, with a purse clenched in her lap. And you look and you know these faces. You know these outfits. Granted, you’ve seen them in a much more grisly light, but you have seen them before, looking up at you out of file folders in your basement.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Duuuuuuh, I think I’m good – I don’t – I’ve got my longboard here. I don’t know if I need a ride.

Kenzie (Bus Driver):

Alright, well, suit yourself!

Brennan:

I’ll get off and start walking and stop.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Fuck.

Brennan:

I’ll check my texts.

Kenzie (MC):

You guys both got the ghost bus text and the photo.

April:

Ivy doesn’t check her phone because she’s making out with Adam.

Mads:

Caleb just replies back three question marks.

Brennan:

I’ll call Caleb.

Mads (Caleb):

Hello?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey. Yeah. There’s a fucking ghost bus here.

Mads (Caleb):

Are you okay? That was – I don’t see anything. It’s like a picture of – what did you send me?

Brennan (Sawyer):

You – just look really closely, you can see sort of this, um, almost like heatwaves. I literally –

Brennan:

And I’ll turn around.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m literally looking at a transparent ghost bus right now and it says it’ll take me anywhere I want to go.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh no, don’t do that. Don’t – no, no, no, no, no. Don’t do that.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Don’t do that?

Mads:

And I lean away. Thank god my dad is the way that he is, the car is bumping so heavily with prime eighties hair metal music so no one can really hear me over top of this. Sam is probably disassociating next to me honestly with just the scene that we are in right now. Because my father also blasts the AC so loud that it kinda like clicks in place too. It’s impossible to hear the click over top of the music. So, I kinda cup the phone close enough and go,

Mads (Caleb):

No, no, no, no, no, no. If they ask for your name, please say no. Don’t – Actually get out of there completely. Just get out of there.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I know but there’s possibly some answer on that bus.

Mads (Caleb):

Some answers? Some answers of you getting grabbed and flown away into another dimension, Sawyer. This is like everything my parents warned me about. Don’t get on that bus.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What if I ask them to take me to Sarah? It said I could go anywhere.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, it will take you anywhere. But you’re never coming back. Don’t get on that bus.

Brennan (Sawyer):

How are we supposed to find anything out about Sarah?

Mads:

Dead air. And you can only pick u on the other end (laughs) the screech of a really heavy guitar riff that kinda – it’s really tinny though, coming through the phone.

Mads (Caleb):

Sawyer, please don’t get on that bus. We can do that together.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know when we’re going to find the bus again but if that’s what you thinks best.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, yeah, I think it’s best. I’ll see you soon, okay?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay, bye.

Mads (Caleb):

Bye.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Uh, excuse me!?

Brennan:

And I’ll knock on the door again.

Kenzie (MC):

Moves the lever and the door opens.

Kenzie (Bus Driver):

Change your mind?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you by chance have specific stops that you like – if I needed a ride later tonight, could I meet you somewhere?

Kenzie (Bus Driver):

Well, I’m just taking these guys to their destination, but it is going to be the last stop of the night.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What’s everybody’s destination?

Brennan:

And I stand on one step in.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Anybody going to a party?

Kenzie (MC):

The younger girl says,

Kenzie (Jane):

Well, I’m just passing through. But this is the second time I’ve been asked to go to a party.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like in your whole life?

Kenzie (Jane):

No, no, sorry. Um, since I’ve been traveling. Second time I’ve been asked to go to a party.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, does anyone – anyone interested in a party?

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah, I mean I am.

Kenzie (MC):

And the little boy goes,

Kenzie (Little Boy):

I was told that I could go to the store with my penny and come right back home. So I’m going home.

Kenzie (MC):

And the older woman say,

Kenzie (Housewife):

Well, young man, thank you very much but I don’t think that I’m one for your type of party.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah it’s going to be a party to die for – I mean, uh, uh… Hey, so, are you ready? Can we leave?

Kenzie (MC):

And she brings up her bag, puts it around her shoulder and pulls her headphones down off her ears to hang around her neck.

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah, sure!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Alright, well, I really only – you can use the board. I’ll just walk.

Kenzie (Jane):

Uh… (laughs) I don’t know how to ride that.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Alright, we’ll just walk together.

Kenzie (MC):

And you go down the stairs of the bus and she goes down the stiars of the bus.

Brennan:

With a deep exhale as soon as I get off the steps.

Kenzie (Jane):

What’s your name?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Trent.

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh, I’m Jane.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey, Jane! Nice to mee ya.

Kenzie (MC):

And she turns back on the sidewalk and puts a hand up to the bus driver and the bus driver says,

Kenzie (Bus Driver):

Alright, well, if you need a ride remember tonight’s – this is the last one of the night, so see you tomorrow!

Kenzie (MC):

And he closes the door but the bus just stays idling.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Were you headed anywhere?

Kenzie (Jane):

Just away from where I came from.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I get it, we’re new friend and everything, want to keep things vague. Trent and Jane. New friends. It’s a bit of a walk so we should start going. Should we come up with a costume along the way, just make something up for what you’re already wearing?

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh is it Halloween?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah!

Kenzie (Jane):

That’s why you’re wearing this ridiculous outfit.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I mean I thought it was pretty funny.

Kenzie (MC):

She pokes it.

Kenzie (Jane):

Kinda puffy.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, buff Shaggy, you know. From Monsters Unleashed. Have you seen that movie?

Kenzie (Jane):

Um, I can’t say that I have.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hmmm. Well, it’s pretty good. Have you seen Scooby-Doo?

Kenzie (Jane):

I don’t think so… what is it?

Brennan (Sawyer):

You don’t even know what it is? I was just talking about the movies, but you’ve seen the cartoons, right? Like, “Zoinks!” you know? Like that.

Kenzie (Jane):

No, I don’t know what that is.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Jinkies! You know that? Rut ro.

Kenzie (Jane):

Rut ro just sounds like a dog.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah! Okay, so you’ve seen it. Cool. Yeah ,it’s pretty good. I don’t know. I think the second movies a lot better than the first though. Underrated and a hot take I think though.

Kenzie (Jane):

I’m not sure what you’re talking about really.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, yeah, sorry. You haven’t seen the second one. Or the first one. Anyways, what kind of movies do you like?

Kenzie (Jane):

Uh to be honest I’m not really a big movie goer.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What do you like to do for fun?

Kenzie (Jane):

Well, I listen to music a lot so I’ve got my Walkman, but really I just like – I don’t know and I’m trying to find out.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay. Well, a Halloween party is a great place to, I guess, let loose and find out what you like.

April:

Ivy texts Sawyer back and just says,

April (Ivy):

What? Please tell me you did not go on there.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, hold on, sorry I got to text a buddy back.

Brennan:

And then I’ll text,

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m literally walking with someon on the bus right now. To your house.

April (Ivy):

Walking with someone on the bus?

Brennan (Sawyer):

From the bus. From the bus! As they were on the bus and now they’re off the bus.

April (Ivy):

How did they get off the bus?

Brennan (Sawyer):

They walked? I invited them.

April (Ivy):

Please text me when you are outside. Do not come inside.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Will do.

April (Ivy):

Jesus Fuck.

Brennan (Sawyer):

So, Jane!

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you live here?

Kenzie (Jane):

No, no, um, I’m just passing through. I’m just kinda goin’ wherever, I didn’t really have a plan.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, well, I could tell you about some of the cool spots around here.

Kenzie (Jane):

Okay!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, we’re going to this Halloween party. That ones pretty cool. That’s probably going to be the whole night, id don’t know. There’s also this local pool house that’s kidna cool. Got shut down a while back though and then itgot, you know, brought back. If you like to swim. Yeah that’s pretty much it! Those are the cool spots, those two. Those two are where we like to go.

Kenzie (Jane):

Cool! I mean, me and my friends just hung out wherever we could find to hang out so, uh, it’s cool that you’ve got some places to go.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, yep. Got a lot of friends?

Kenzie (Jane):

I had a group but, uh, nobody that made me want to stay.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Stay where? Like what high school did you go to? Like out? Like not here?

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah, it’s just not here, yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

More like in the city maybe?

Kenzie (Jane):

Uh, on the outskirts.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay, okay.

Kenzie (Jane):

Hey, so how far is this party?

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s a bit of a walk, I’m not going to lie.

Kenzie (Jane):

Alright.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Is that okay with you?

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah, no, yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sorry, I should’ve mentioned that.

Kenzie (Jane):

It’s good. It’d be kinda nice to be in a house again so.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Haven’t been in a house in a while? You live in an apartment.

Kenzie (Jane):

I’ve just been on the road for a while.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like a hitchhiker?

Kenzie (Jane):

Well, I mean I was on a bus and you pay to go on the bus.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’ve just been on the bus for a while?

Kenzie (Jane):

Like I’ve been taking buses. (laughs) I’m traveling through the country.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I feel like you’d get sick of buses at some point, you know?

Kenzie (Jane):

Well, there’s not really any other way to go. I don’t have a car.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, do you have a job?

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah, no so I’ve been traveling for a while as I said so…

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, yeah, well there’s freelance, remote opportunities nowadays.

Kenzie (Jane):

Do you want to listen to some music?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yes! Yes!

Kenzie (MC):

She drapes the Walkman headphones over her arm and then turns it up all the way so it’s still like really low ‘cause it’s just coming through the headphones. So, it’s kinda like tinny and low but you just hear what sounds like some rock music.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What are you listening to? I’ll just put it in and we can each have one of my headphones.

Kenzie (Jane):

Put my tape in yours?

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, no, no, just tell me the song and I’ll look it up.

Kenzie (Jane):

I don’t –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like on the Internet.

Kenzie (Jane):

You’ve said a lot of words to me that don’t make any sense.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You know, you’re right. Let’s just listen to the arm headphones.

Kenzie (MC):

Caleb your dad drives up to the house. It’s getting close to ten pm. The place looks dark – it looks like all the curtains have been pulled over the windows and there’s no light seeping out of it. But when you step out you can hear music and people talking inside.

Mads:

I open up the door just as a fucking Poison song riff screeches out from the window.

Mads (Caleb):

Thanks, thanks, Dad! Thank you. Thank – Okay, bye, I love you.

Mads:

And slam the door closed.

Kenzie (Daniel):

Hey, hey, hey! Caleb! Make sure Adam drives you home if you’re going to be late.

Mads (Caleb):

I’ll try.

Kenzie (Daniel):

Or text me if you’re staying the night.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay.

Kenzie (Daniel):

Be careful!

Mads (Caleb):

I know!

Kenzie (Daniel):

Okay.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, thanks, Mr. Moore, for the ride.

Kenzie (MC):

And you see Sam get out and forget that they’re wearing a skirt for a second and then like make this weird move to get out of the car. I haven’t done this is a really long time it’s very strange.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, and it’s a great look but if you want to change the options there.

Kenzie (Sam):

We’re going to go in as what we are and then maybe in a little bit.

Mads (Caleb):

Mm-hmm. I’ve got other backups too.

Kenzie (Sam):

Is that just like your dysphoria backpack?

Mads:

I look down at my little messenger bag that’s just been beaten to shit. It actually has the emblem for the private preparatory boarding school that I went to on it. At one point, you can see that I tried to black it out with some kind of permanent marker, but the color, whenever it faded through came out purple tinged and it just didn’t look right so I just gave up on it. It has a couple of patches and some buttons on them. Is a little Pride flag on their. And I kinda just pat it a couple times and I go,

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

Kenzie (Sam):

Cool. Maybe I should think of doing that too. Backup plan.

Mads (Caleb):

Mm-hmm.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, so what’s it like inside?

Mads (Caleb):

Have you ever heard the term old money?

Kenzie (Sam):

Uh-huh.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, like that. Gaudy, bougie, classical? They really area fan of old art décor but I mean for the Halloween party, they kinda make it more modern. It’s a little spooky and they do have a really good playlist.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay! Overstimulation here we come.

Mads (Caleb):

The best part is that if all else fails, most of the bathrooms and closets are sound proof.

Kenzie (Sam):

That’s odd.

Mads (Caleb):

Don’t think about it too hard. I try not to.

Kenzie (MC):

Sawyer, you are turning down the street that Ivy’s house is on and you can see Sam and Caleb standing at the entrance to the driveway.

Brennan:

Beep, beep beep. I just send that to all three of us. Just a large wave.

Kenzie (MC):

You see walking with Sawyer, this girl, a few years older than you, carrying a backpack over a leather jacket.

Brennan:

You get another text. It says,

Brennan (Sawyer):

She doesn’t know what the Internet is.

Mads:

I look down at my phone and then I just look back up. And it’s the look too – you’ve seen this look so many fucking times of Caleb, where it’s just like the – his eyes are looking straight out through his furrowed brow. This like, “I can’t fucking believe you’ve done this” kind of look. Just is so intently upon you. You can see him move his head back, kind of like look up to the sky like he’s looking for some sort of answer. A sigh. His shoulders sag down a little bit. He puts his phone in his pocket and crosses his arms. Just waits for you to approach.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ivy get your ass out here now.

Brennan:

Send.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey, Caleb! Sam! You guys look great. This is my friend, Jane.

Kenzie (Jane):

Uh, hi, I’m Jane. Your friends of Trent’s?

Kenzie (MC):

And she sticks her hand out.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah… friends of Trent’s. Trent is our friend. How do you know Trent? Did you meet very recently? Did you –

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh, I thought he was getting a ride on the bus but then he invited me to a party and I haven’t been to one in a while so I thought that might be fun. And I missed out on the last one I was invited to.

Mads (Caleb):

You – you were on the bus.

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah!

Mads (Caleb):

The bus.

Mads:

I look at Sawyer.

Kenzie (Jane):

You do know what a bus is, right?

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, I know what a bus is.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah the bus. It drove away.

Mads (Caleb):

It drove away? The bus did.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Mm-hmm.

Mads (Caleb):

The bus drove away.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Til tomorrow.

Mads (Caleb):

Welcome, Jane. Thanks for joining us tonight, here. Speaking of us here, Trent what are you wearing?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m buff shaggy from Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

Mads:

There’s just so many emotions that play over top of Caleb’s face. Because you can see that he’s trying to like hold everything fucking together that you – not only did you get on the bus he told you not to get on. But you pulled someone off it! On top of that, the outfit that you’re wearing is horrendous at best. And laughable at worst. And then there’s this moment though still, between these things, there’s this terrible, disgusting, gooey fondness that sort of crinkles up at the corner of one of Caleb’s eyes. And is very quickly gone.

Mads (Caleb):

I thought we had decided on the classics.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, but you know, I had a buff blowup thing from last year.

Mads (Caleb):

You just had it in your closet?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Mm-hmm.

Mads (Caleb):

Of course you did. Of course you’d just have –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I was macho man Randy Savage last year so –

Mads (Caleb):

I don’t know how I could’ve forgotten that.

Brennan (Sawyer):

So, I thought buff Shaggy would be funny. (clears throat) Where’s Ivy?

Kenzie (MC):

Ivy you get the text that just says beep, beep, beep from Sawyer.

April:

Ivy doesn’t get this text at the moment (clears throat).

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, I think we should wait outside until Ivy wants to come say hi.

Kenzie (Sam):

We have to get the gang together, okay? Because we look like idiots just the three of us.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, we can do this without them.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, I really think we should stay outside until Ivy’s going to come out.

Kenzie (Jane):

Did you say Ivy? I think that the person that invited me to the last party’s name was Ivy.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh shit!

Mads (Caleb):

Ivy invited you to a party?

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah!

Brennan (Sawyer):

What party do you by chance remember it being?

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh she said something about a quarry, I think.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Uh-huh.

Kenzie (Jane):

I’ve never been to a party in a quarry. It sounded kinda cool.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Uh-huh. Sam, you look awesome.

Kenzie (Sam):

Thanks! I don’t know how much longer I’m going to look this awesome though.

Mads (Caleb):

Exactly, Saw - Trent. We’re kinda on a time limit here of how long we can stay in these costumes.

Kenzie (Sam):

Uh-huh.

Mads (Caleb):

And obviously I can see that you spent so much time on yours. Put a lot of thought into it and so I think we need to show it off as much as possible.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You see I agree with you but I also think that I –

Brennan:

I just look at Jane.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ah, fuck it. Yeah, let’s just go inside.

Brennan:

Check my phone one last time.

Kenzie (MC):

There’s not text from Ivy.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Alright, let’s go find her.

Kenzie (MC):

You guys get up to the front door which is unlocked, and you open it –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Wait, Jane!

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah?

Brennan:

As we’re at the door.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You didn’t by chance happen to make out with Ivy, did you?

Kenzie (Jane):

No, that sounds crazy. Why would you say that?

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s just something that happens a lot. Alright.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s not as exclusive access and you think it would be, sorry.

Kenzie (Jane):

I don’t know what you think of me –

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, it’s nothing about you.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s all about, Ivy.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, you seem cool. And you’ve got good taste in music.

Mads (Caleb):

What – what kinda music do you listen to?

Kenzie (Jane):

I’m kinda into rock right now. Usually, always actually.

Mads (Caleb):

More modern stuff or like – is it like new revival? Like indie? Or is it more like grungy Like is it more like classic rock. Like you know ACDC, Led Zeppelin, stuff like that. Dad rock?

Kenzie (Jane):

You both seem to know things that I don’t know.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Maybe it’s just like Wildmoore slang.

Kenzie (Jane):

I mean, I would say that I suppose modern would be what you would call what I’m into.

Mads (Caleb):

So, like, um, like recent stuff? Or like the last decade?

Mads:

In the meantime, to just like fill the silence. Caleb starts rambling off artists.

Mads (Caleb):

You know, Greta Van Fleet is like more modern, I guess, in the last couple of years. I mean a lot of people see the Led Zeppelin influence there, especially with the vocals but it’s just not really my thing as much.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Modern dad rock sort of thing.

Mads (Caleb):

I mean like Maneskin is nice but again, it’s just like some of their earlier stuff maybe. A lot of their newer stuff feels really sellout to me so I’m not much into that. But, if you go back a little bit further you could go into more alt music too. Like Mother Mother, I do like that. Have you heard of Mother Mother before?

Kenzie (Jane):

Um… I haven’t. I mean, Elvis was big for a while and just recently I’m really into the couple new songs by this new artist that just came out. Everybody seems to be really into him.

Mads (Caleb):

What’s his name?

Kenzie (Jane):

Have you heard of Jimi Hendrix?

Mads (Caleb):

Ahhhh, yeah I’ve heard of him (clears throat). I’ve heard of him.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah. Good stuff.

Mads (Caleb):

Really, really new and up and coming.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You going to Woodstock this year?

Kenzie (Jane):

I haven’t heard of something called Woodstock. Is that like a concert?

Mads (Caleb):

You know, it’s kinda new. I mean, we –

Mads:

Frantically look to Sawyer.

Mads (Caleb):

We were just hearing about it like yesterday we overheard some people at the record store talking about it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Record store.

Mads (Caleb):

Record store.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Vinyls.

Mads (Caleb):

Good stuff! Maybe we could talk more about it maybe like after the party. Just kind of –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I would also say, Jane just so you know. Ivy’s house has a weird taste in music. Some stuff that’s like really off market shit that’s, um, yeah the sound systems are really intense so just so you know.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s very avant-garde.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah!

Mads (Caleb):

It’s really focused –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Mixed with pop.

Mads (Caleb):

-on, uh, just the feeling of the music. It’s less about the sound and more about how it hits your body, kinda.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, the vibrations.

Mads (Caleb):

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. That’s the whole point so if you feel your body shaking then it’s just what it’s supposed to be.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Cool. Ivy!

Kenzie (MC):

You guys open the front door and are just hit with “The Time Warp.”

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh, um, I see what you mean.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, it’s kinda like a theme for the night. Very experimental and raw.

Kenzie (MC):

You walk into a fairly dark interior. It seems like the only light is the dimmed chandelier and then a ridiculous amount of fire. The Duncans are not worried about a fire hazard as they probably should be. So, a ridiculous amount of open flames through this house and it’s already bustling. You see people, all your age, all people that if they didn’t have facepaint or masks, you’d probably recognize from school in an array of costumes. From high fantasy to a couple girls literally wearing T-shirts and backwards hats and one of them has a big A on it dictating that they’re Alvin and the Chipmunks. Like it is a wide refelction of costume ideas and talent levels and care.

April:

Before you see Ivy, you hear her, yelling out over the din.

April (Ivy):

Who the fuck put on this song?

April:

And you hear it just change immediately to what sounds like if 100 Gecs remixed “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And then you just hear her,

April (Ivy):

Whooo!

April:

And you hear the popping of a cork and you see Ivy jump up and wrap her legs around Adam and dump a bottle of champagne over both of their heads. They both like tip their heads back, going back and forth between their open mouths. Ivy found out really quickly that alcohol dulls her senses in a way that she really enjoys right now and has been getting incredibly fucked up over the past our, waiting for you guys to arrive.

Kenzie (MC):

Sam’s body is shaking in the doorway of Blackthorn Manor, looking at this. And they go,

Kenzie (Sam):

I put on a skirt and they are not Daphne and Scooby!

Mads:

Caleb’s body like Sam’s mirrored but flipped perfectly is so still. Like I don’t think you’ve ever seen him this still before and there’s just a rigid hard set to his jaw as he’s staring at the two fo them with deadly intent.

Mads (Caleb):

They didn’t wear the outfits for the group.

Brennan (Sawyer):

They didn’t wear the outfits!

Mads (Caleb):

We planned an entire group for this. Why am I – Why am I surprised? You know what?

Mads:

I turn and it’s just this contained anger. You can see it like my eyes are starting to twitch.

Mads (Caleb):

I actually did plan for this though. On top of some other things. So, Jane, fantastic to meet you. I’m going to have to steal Trent away for just a second.

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah! I mean, I’ve met Ivy before, I’ll just go say hi.

Mads (Caleb):

Go say hi to Ivy, I’m sure she’ll be so excited to see you.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, yeah, maybe that’s not a –

Mads:

I grab Sawyer’s arm and then I grab Sam’s and yank both of them.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay, good luck!

Mads:

I go to one of the many bathrooms in the Duncan estate.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, Caleb, because I was going to walk up to Ivy that if she did this to us then she needs to let me in her closet because I could find a different costume to wear.

Mads:

Whenever we get to the bathroom I close the door. And it’s one of those like really gaudy bathrooms that has like – it’s like the toilet is a separate room inside of the bathroom and what you see first and foremost is one of those – what are those bathtubs? The clawed feet bathtubs. One of those is the central point of this bathroom. It’s elevated on top of a little tile elevated area. There’s plush rugs everywhere around the room as well. There’s a large like double bathroom sink vanity section set up as well. And Caleb like beelins over to that counter and takes off his messenger bag, throws it down, and flips it open. You can see now that there’s a ton of clothing inside of this bag. Almost like he had planned for his brother and Ivy to just say fuck it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey, um, you know, it’s easy to get the clothes off but it’s really fucking hard to get this body suit off.

April:

You hear one bang on the bathroom door.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t want to get it.

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t want to get it!

Mads:

I turn to the bathroom doors (knocking).

Brennan (Sawyer):

Nose goes.

Mads:

I try to take a deep steadying breath again and I exhale out on a (groan).

Mads (Caleb):

I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m okay. I’m great. I’m fine. I’m awesome.

Mads:

I go to the door, I open it up.

Mads (Caleb):

What?

April:

Ivy is standing there, already wasted.

April (Ivy):

You guys literally came into my house and didn’t even say hi to me. What the fuck?

Mads (Caleb):

You literally changed outfits without telling us. What the fuck?

Kenzie (Adam):

That was kinda rude, Caleb.

Mads (Caleb):

You know what’s kinda rude? Not picking me up!

Kenzie (Adam):

I was supposed to pick you up?

Mads (Caleb):

You were supposed to bring me here!

April (Ivy):

Sam, you look really hot in that skirt.

Kenzie (MC):

I need you to manipulate an NPC.

April:

A nine.

Kenzie (Sam):

You know what, Ivy! Thank you very much! Doesn’t make me less angry about this whole situation.

April (Ivy):

(sighs) I’m sorry but guys like the Scooby gang is so overdone.

Kenzie (Sam):

I have a phone number. You could’ve texted me.

April (Ivy):

Look, I just (sighs)…

April:

She looks over at Adam as if he’s going to say something. But of course he does not.

Mads:

Adam and I, this entire time, have kept like a locked staring contest going.

Kenzie (MC):

And Adam’s just looking at you like eyebrows raised like shrugging like, “It’s Ivy what am I supposed to do about this?”

Mads (Caleb):

You’re so whipped.

April (Ivy):

Look I mean you guys all look good anyway – I mean… Sawyer what are you wearing, actually?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Am I the only one that’s seen the movies?

Mads (Caleb):

Yes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m buff Shaggy from Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. 3D or not 3D, whichever one you watched.

April (Ivy):

Okay… Um, what are you guys all doing in the bathroom together?

Mads (Caleb):

We are changing outfits. Because as you said, the Scooby-Doo gang is overdone.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What are you, Adam? Are you like Freddy Krueger with an eyepatch.

Kenzie (Adam):

Sawyer, you know my eyes fucked up, man.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I know! But my question still hangs.

April (Ivy):

We’re Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Where’s the blonde hair? That’s like the Cobain staple.

Kenzie (Adam):

I didn’t want to wear a wig.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, boo.

Kenzie (Adam):

Boo, hoo, you.

Mads (Caleb):

Ahhhh.

Kenzie (Adam):

Ehhhh.

April (Ivy):

Jesus Christ, you guys are fucking annoying now that you’re friends again.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Wait Adam, can you tell me one Nirvana song?

April (Ivy):

Adam, you don’t have to do this.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, Adam! What’s one Nirvana song?

April (Ivy):

You don’t have to play his stupid games.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, you really do. You really have to do one Nirvana song?

Mads (Caleb):

What’s your favorite album, Adam?

Brennan (Sawyer):

There’s not that many.

Mads (Caleb):

Mm-mmm.

Kenzie (MC):

Over Ivy’s head he just points at you guys aggressively and is like,

Kenzie (Adam):

You know that I don’t know any fucking idea who I’m dressed as. You don’t have to bring it up.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Did somebody come talk to you, Ivy?

April (Ivy):

Everybody except for you guys has come to talk to me because it’s my fucking house so I’m not really sure what your question is.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Nevermind.

Mads (Caleb):

We’ll catch you later. There’s something, not super concerning right now.

Kenzie (Sam):

Sawyer told somebody that his name was Trent!

April (Ivy):

Trent?

Mads (Caleb):

We brought some – Sawyer brought someone –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Used my plus one.

Mads (Caleb):

That might know you.

April (Ivy):

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah if you checked your fucking phone.

April (Ivy):

You did. You texted me about this. Sawyer, you brought someone from the fucking bus into my house!?

Brennan (Sawyer):

If you checked your phone, I tried to wait outside.

April:

Ivy gives a little sniff.

April (Ivy):

I do not know where my phone is or I would have checked it, thank you –

April:

She looks over at Sam.

April (Ivy):

-for reminding me that I need to go look for it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’re welcome.

Mads (Caleb):

Just lookin’ out for ya.

April (Ivy):

Mm-hmm.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Keep it on you tonight.

Mads (Caleb):

Very important. Just in case. Never know.

April (Ivy):

But I really don’t know where it is –

Kenzie (Adam):

Hey, guys! I got my phone right here if you just wanted to involve me in the texts. So, maybe next time, kay? ‘Cause we do have a group chat, the four of us. Just sayin.’

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, this is very new.

April (Ivy):

Sorry, babe, we kinda sometimes forget that you know, you’re part of this.

Kenzie (Adam):

Oh, yeah. Makes me feel real nice, Ivy.

Kenzie (MC):

And he starts walking away.

April (Ivy):

Baby! No, wait! Oh my god. Jesus you get so offended so fast.

Mads:

I close the door again. I got back over to my bag. The tension has left me know that we’ve had that interaction at least. So, I start pulling things out and I hand Sam two options actually. A pair of black pants, just like black jeans, also a black skirt. I can say,

Mads (Caleb):

You can decide. I wasn’t sure what direction you were going to be feeling after being in the Velma bit for a minute there so it’s up to you. This is important though.

Mads:

And I hand them a yellow T-shirt – just a plain yellow T-shirt. And a – it’s not a mask, but it’s a little duck bill to put over you mouth.

Mads (Caleb):

That’s important.

Kenzie (MC):

They hold them up.

Kenzie (Sam):

A duck?

Mads (Caleb):

Give it a minute!

Mads:

And I pull out two really god awful ugly, block print, sweaters. And then I pull out two kinda like of foamy false noses and one of them looks like a round nose and one of them kinda looks like an oval. Ones in red and the other’s in more of an orange. And then I’m about to put these on and I look at Sawyer and his terrible, oh, getting stuck in his stupid, frickin’ costume.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, no, you’re helpless.

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s gonna take like fifteen minutes to get out of this things.

Mads (Caleb):

I want to laugh at you so bad right now but it’s just a little too pathetic.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Are we changing? I thought you looked cute as Fred though!

Mads (Caleb):

I know I do. Thank you for the compliment regardless.

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t want to be in the middle of this! Whatever this is, I don’t want to be in it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, no, no, there’s no middle. Get in on this.

Mads (Caleb):

Please don’t.

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t want to be the third wheel, I know we talked about that. But I also don’t necessarily want to hear, “Oh, you’re so cute,” we get it! You guys think each other are cute!

Mads (Caleb):

You’ve two options, Sam. You stay in the bathroom and you have to be involved in this. Or, you put on your rubber ducky outfit and you go mingle at the party.

Kenzie (Sam):

But why am I a rubber duck? That’s my question.

Mads (Caleb):

Because you’re the rubber ducky, duh.

Kenzie (Sam):

I think you’ve lost me on the reference. (gasps) The Veggie Tales rubber ducky!

Mads (Caleb):

Oh my god.

Kenzie (Sam):

Like from the song –

Mads (Caleb):

Burt and Ernie, Sam. Burt and Ernie and the rubber ducky, Sam. Have you ever seen a vegetable where are sweater that ugly?

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah but the long noses got me cause Larry and what’s his name also have weird noses. I’m sorry. This makes a lot more sense, bye.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Are you moving somewhere?

Kenzie (MC):

Quickly like puts the rubber duck costume on and is like,

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, I’m gonna just go.

Mads (Caleb):

Figure out what the punch situation is like.

Brennan (Sawyer):

We’ll be down in like two seconds.

Kenzie (MC):

They open the door and they shut the door and you two are left in the bathroom alone.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I feel kinda bad about hat one.

Mads (Caleb):

Bad about?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know. Are they right? Should we like tone down – I didn’t think saying you were cute was a big thing but if Sam doesn’t feel good about us doing that… I just don’t want to isolate Sam tonight.

Mads:

I kinda roll my eyes a little bit and then start to help you take off this terrible fucking outfit.

Brennan:

There’s a little hole that (blowing air noise).

Mads:

I try to start taking it off like I’m going to be all coy and like sexy about it and then that happens and you just hear Caleb let out this wheeze of laughter.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You have to sort of squish it like an air mattress.

Mads (Caleb):

To answer your question, if Sam actually is upset, they will let me know about it. They don’t like being the third wheel in anything. I don’t think anyone likes being the third wheel in anything. But also, Sam just likes to point things out like that too. You know, just kinda egg on us a little bit. What good is friendship if not for playful bullying?

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s true. Maybe we’ll just – are you cool if we keep too explicit PDA down around Sam, then? Maybe that’s just the, the move.

Mads (Caleb):

Look Sawyer, I don’t know how PG we’re going to be able to keep this tonight in those sweaters.

Brennan (Sawyer):

(laughs) Yeah, that’s true. The big noses are really doing it for me.

Mads (Caleb):

I mean that’s the hottest I’ve ever seen a costume before.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, not the buff shaggy, huh?

Mads (Caleb):

(laughs) No, buff Shaggy’s a close second though. It’s starting to grow on me. It’s a shame –

Mads:

And I like wrestle it off of your head.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You gotta step on it to get all the air out.

Mads:

The two of them get down on the floor of the bathroom and they try to like rolling it on itself.

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s probably good idea you brought these extra costumes. You know- you know, Adam.

Mads (Caleb):

I know, Adam. It’s unfortunate really. Helpful sometimes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I probably should have foreseen this with Ivy too.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, you know Ivy.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, yeah, I don’t know. I was excited about the Scooby-Doo thing though.

Mads (Caleb):

I know you were.

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s alright! This is cool too. The rubber ducky’s a cute little addition.

Mads (Caleb):

I figured it could be a stand alone thing too if we’re not standing next to them. It’s just a little duck. Sam looks cute in anything you put them into.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey, does Sam like Ivy?

Mads (Caleb):

(huffs)

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like deep down?

Mads (Caleb):

Sam is infatuated with Ivy. I think – I think Sam could like Ivy but Ivy would not be good for Sam.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, I was about to say that’d be horrible. We gotta steer Sam in a different direction.

Mads (Caleb):

Sam needs someone that can be slow

Brennan (Sawyer):

Farrow?

Mads (Caleb):

Hmmm. Now that you mention it. I never really though about who I would set Sam up with but I mean, Farrow’s a little quiet. Maybe kinda geeky. A little nerdy. I mean they sit with us in the art room all the time for lunch. And they do have a rat.

Brennan (Sawyer):

It was mostly the rat thing.

Mads (Caleb):

It was mostly the rat? That’s why you thought maybe Sam would like them.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I thought Sam would think that the rat’s cool.

Mads (Caleb):

Sam would think that the rat’s cool. You know one of Sam’s favorite things to do is to send me pictures of little raccoons.

Brennan (Sawyer):

They’re real wholesome.

Mads (Caleb):

Sam needs someone that can be like that back.

Brennan (Sawyer):

With a little edge.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, take them out of their comfort zone sometimes. I think that would be good.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, that’s why you’re also good with them.

Mads (Caleb):

Me? Have an edge?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Uh, you’re at a Duncan party – yeah, you have an edge. You don’t know you have an edge?

Mads:

Kind of like looks down at his feet. And he’s just standing there in the bathroom right now, wearing just like a pair of jeans, binder –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Look at yourself in the mirror.

Brennan:

And I grab your face and I push you face towards the mirror.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’re literally like ten times – have more of an edge than I do.

Mads:

My jaw still in your hands, turn to the side. I like side glance you in the mirror and go,

Mads (Caleb):

Uh, that’s not much to work with, babe.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’ve got like a deep inner, deep inner edge. And you have like an exoskeleton edginess.

Mads (Caleb):

Are you calling me a spider?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I mean I love spiders.

Mads (Caleb):

Or like a scorpion? Those have exoskeletons, right?

Brennan (Sawyer):

You ever seen jumping spiders? They’re like really cute. You’re like a jumping spider.

Mads (Caleb):

So, you’re calling me cute?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah. But like in a spider way.

Mads (Caleb):

Like in a spider way.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You know what I mean?

Mads (Caleb):

I think I do know. And it works ‘cause you’re just cute in a cute way.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I know. Let’s get these damn costumes on.

Brennan:

And I’ll kiss you on the cheek.

Mads:

Obviously I give you the Ernie outfit. I give you the stupid little foam nose.

Brennan:

Pop it on.

Mads:

I put on the Burt sweater. I put on my own stupid nose.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh! We gotta really figure this Jane thing out.

Mads (Caleb):

Shit.

Brennan (Sawyer):

We didn’t really have time to talk about it or anything because things were moving in life really fast but I stumbled upon some old research stuff and well, I found a bunch of murder cases throughout the decades. Kinda murder cases. Just a lot of deaths and there’s different pictures of different people and it involved, some of it, like went back to the sixties and even before and well, when I went on that bus, some of the people that I saw on those photos in the research were on the bus.

Mads (Caleb):

Were these murders like Ryan Bishop kind of murders?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah.

Mads (Caleb):

Shit, Sawyer.

Brennan (Sawyer):

And you told me not to get on the bus, so I kinda went half on, half off the bus and just asked if somebody wanted to come off because I don’t know when we’re going to see this bus again and I feel like this is a good shot at finding out some information.

Mads (Caleb):

If this is the same ghost bus that ivy was talking about, I mean, ghosts on the ghost bus. But you brought one of them here. And her name’s Jane and she really doesn’t know anything about the present.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Nope, not at all.

Mads (Caleb):

So, kinda fits.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t think jane’s going to do anything I just think that we need to ask the right questions tonight.

Mads (Caleb):

Whenever you got her off the bus, did she seem disoriented or just a little off?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Not really, she’s just confused about what time period it is. I used a lot of words that she didn’t understand and I don’t know, she seemed just ready to party. She’s very vague in a lot of her answers. She doesn’t really know where she’s going. She’s been on the road for a really long time.

Mads (Caleb):

She really didn’t like it whenever we insinuated that Ivy wanted to flirt with her.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I picked up on that. I’m also getting a little worried… you think, um, Ryan Bishop’s going to end up on that bus?

Mads (Caleb):

Potentially.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah.

Mads (Caleb):

But look, Sawyer, what can we do about that? We can think about how terrible it would be if or when he does end up on the ghost bus as a ghost.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I was also thinking about another thing.

Mads (Caleb):

You think about too many things.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah. I know. After, um, Homecoming I was sorta thinking that we’re gonna eventually I think need to have a conversation with whatever’s inside Adam and now Ivy. And I think we should do it sooner rather than later in a controlled environment.

Mads (Caleb):

I agree. How do you think we can make a controlled environment? Because I mean like last time, most times here, it usually involves me holding Adam down and borderline beating the shit out him.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know. It’d be hard to strap like Ivy down but. Adam would be a little easier. I don’t know if we can sedate Ivy, but I don’t know if that would put her in danger. But I think it needs to be somewhere they can both attempt to fight for themselves if it ever gets too bad. An environment that they are comfortable with.

Mads (Caleb):

Somewhere they’re comfortable. That would be safe it it got too bad. I mean… we could use Ivy’s bedroom.

Brennan (Sawyer):

That would work. Think about what we would ask the thing as well.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

‘Cause it’s going to try to trick us or something.

Mads (Caleb):

When I get worked up, it’s really hard for me to see reason. If it rattles me too much – I would never hurt you and I don’t want to hurt Adam and I don’t want to hurt Ivy, but sometimes it’s like my brain kinda doesn’t recognize it as being Adam and just sees the things that’s inside of him and I don’t know if I can stay on a script.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I can always do most of the talking. If you have questions, just let me know. I’m definitely going to need some help with that, but I can do the talking.

Kenzie (MC):

Both of your phones go off and in the group chat with all four of you, Adam has sent,

Kenzie (Adam):

If you guys don’t get out here like right now, I’m afraid of what Ivy’s going to do to you.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey, let’s go.

Mads:

I send him back a selfie – it’s like aimed at the ceiling and you can just see my eyeballs in the corner or something like that and it’s just flipping him off.

Brennan (Sawyer):

If Ivy’s gonna be mad I pretty much just do whatever it’s going to take not to make her mad.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s my god given right as a younger sibling to do as many things as possible to piss Adam off. We can go though.

Brennan (Sawyer):

(lets out deep breath) Okay, thank god.

Kenzie (MC):

Caleb and Sawyer find their way out of the bathroom, back to the area where they came in. Try looking for Ivy and Adam. The house is closed off in weird sections and open in weird sections, so you have pretty much free reign as long as a door isn’t locked. And some of the rooms have certain themes, some of the rooms were set up for certain things like there is a room that is playing Rock Horror Picture Show on a loop, all night long. There is a room where whether it was set up for this or not, it seems like the stoners have found and Sawyer as you walked past you can kinda see Sour Diesel and White Widow in there, absolutely not dressed up in any way at all, but definitely really high with another group of people around.

As you guys are walking, you see a few of your classmates. You see Damian dressed up as Frankenstein’s monster. You see next to him, Farrow, in a Ghostbuster’s outfit that is definitely just a janitor’s like overall thing, with an iron on patch. And you can see the tiny little rat sticking up out of their pocket. And you see Vic dressed up in a very feminine version of Hades from Disney’s Hercules.

Mads:

Like a drag version?

Kenzie (MC):

Kinda just like when people – I guess for Vic it would be a drag version – but it’s not like big drag makeup. It’s like literally like if Hades was a woman is what – just a very feminine version –

Brennan:

Is their hair blue?

Kenzie (MC):

It’s definitely a wig but yes.

Mads:

This is Vic we’re talking about. That’s a very specific kind of wig too. That’s a lace front. It’s really nice quality.

Kenzie (MC):

But those are kinda the only people you notice from homeroom as you make your way to find Ivy and Adam and Sam. Ivy, where do you think you and Adam are?

April:

Ivy has not slowed down over the course of the night at all and although initially getting fucked up kinda dulled the buzzing, it didn’t dull the irritation after a certain point. As the people say, the drinks were starting to taste like, “Bitches can’t say fucking excuse me?” So, one of the cheerleaders that Ivy kinda doesn’t like as much, bumps into her over and over. She’s just drunk and Ivy knows that but it’s starting to get really irritating. So, Ivy’s trying to talk to Adam but she can’t focus because this stupid girl keeps bumping into her. So, without all of her vampire strength, but maybe more than she should use, she slams her elbow into this girl.

Kenzie (MC):

If you’re doing it on purpose with an intentiona to possibly harm someone, I will say that’ll be a roll.

April:

I roll a five.

Kenzie (MC):

You go to do this and you feel Adam grab onto your arm and kinda pull you a little bit away and he leans down and whispers in your ear,

Kenzie (Adam):

Ivy, I know I’m not one to talk but the alcohol only helps certain things, not all the things. And we said checks and balances so take a breath, it’s gonna be fine.

April:

Ivy kinda like looks up from under her eyebrows at him and says,

April (Ivy):

Fine. Fine. It’s just a little rude. In my house. Doesn’t feel good. Usually it’s fun to have all these people around but it doesn’t feel good to have them here right now. It feels silly, dangerous, I don’t know it feels like I’m putting them all at risk.

Kenzie (Adam):

I don’t think you’re wrong. It think it’s kinda all of those things. But if we didn’t just like let ourselves for a couple hours pretend like none of the rest of it is existing, I think I’d go more insane than I was already going.

April (Ivy):

Did I ever tell you why this party started? Like the tradition of it? It was so my dads could find people to feed on.

Kenzie (MC):

His eyes widen a bit.

Kenzie (Adam):

Oh.

April (Ivy):

Yeah. It’s all the big parties. Halloween. Christmas. New Years. It was just a chance for them to meet more people and drink blood and they’d even like drain some people of their blood and put it away in bottles for the rest of the year. I know it sounds like fucking dark, but they didn’t have as many connections then. They didn’t want to raise suspicions by feeding as often so they just kinda like had to stock up. It’s not like that anymore –

Kenzie (Adam):

Yeah, I was gonna ask if they still do that but –

April (Ivy):

I mean they never fed on kids. It was just adults. But, I feel like something bad is going to happen.

Kenzie (Adam):

I think a lot of bad things could happen. And honestly, I think with a house full of high schoolers, the person most easily triggered by that is kinda my brother.

April:

Ivy kinda is taken aback by that.

April (Ivy):

You’re not worried about me?

Kenzie (Adam):

No, why would I be worried about you?

April (Ivy):

Nevermind.

Kenzie (Adam):

No, no, Ivy. There hasn’t been a moment, ever, that I thought that you were somebody that I should be worried about in that sense like, okay, I guess I’m a little bit worried about both of us because we’ve got (chuckles) something fucked up going on up here. But as like you, just you, no. For the entire time we were together, you fed on me, and I had no problem with that and it never – you never, you always stopped, you never went too far. Honestly it surprised me more that you haven’t given up all the fucking restraint because it’s gotta be so hard.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I mean, it’s just this thing that I’ve always lived with. You were saying how the voice, the dark, whatever it is that’s inside us, it didn’t get easier but you got used to it just because it’s every day. It’s kinda like that except some days it is worse. It feels like I can’t control when it’s going to be better or worse or when I’m going to have perfect control or not. Especially recently I feel like I’ve been out of control and I know that I used to feed on your all the time but I’m kinda scared to do so again.

Kenzie (Adam):

Well, I don’t think right now we should – you did and you got possessed so I think that would be a good thing not to do right now.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, no, you know what I mean. I just – I –

Kenzie (Adam):

It’s gotten harder hasn’t it?

April (Ivy):

Since Homecoming it’s um… I’m just so thirsty all the time. But I’ve been feeding. Like I don’t want you – don’t – I’m not being irresponsible.

Kenzie (Adam):

I don’t think that. I think that this thing is changing you.

April (Ivy):

It’s not as bad as yours. I know it’s not.

Kenzie (Adam):

I don’t – that’s not – this look on my face is not that. This look on my face is – have you ever thought that maybe this thing is the reason for Ryan Bishop? He didn’t look like himself. I’ve never been afraid of your dad before.

April (Ivy):

I don’t think it’s in him? Do you think it could like, I don’t know, like take someone over for a bit and then leave them.

Kenzie (MC):

Flashback to the night of Homecoming, after the dance, after you successfully returned Adam to the care of his parents. You’re exhausted. All you want to do is fall into bed and sleep for days but when you open the door to your bedroom, there’s a cool breeze wafting in from the open window and Kai is sitting on your bed. And she takes one look at you and states with no question in her voice,

Kenzie (Kai):

Something happened.

April:

For some reason, Ivy already feels like she’s fighting back tears, just with that one non-question.

Kenzie (MC):

She stands up and she looks at you, like really looks at you.

Kenzie (Kai):

I can see if behind your eyes, Ivy, what did you do?

April (Ivy):

Kai can we just not do this tonight? I’m sorry. You’re right, something happened. But I don’t think I can, um, I don’t really want to talk about it right now.

Kenzie (Kai):

I know what it is.

April:

Ivy walks past her and sits on her bed.

April (Ivy):

Of course, you know.

Kenzie (Kai):

Well, ‘cause I saw it in there.

April (Ivy):

In me?

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah. I can feel it. Even now.

April (Ivy):

I’m scared.

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, that’s a good feeling to be.

April (Ivy):

I let it in. I thought maybe I could just maybe take it all. If I could just hold it instead, like, it would be better somehow. Like I could deal with it. I’m used to holding things in. But I’m really scared. I don’t know if I can. I didn’t make it better!

Kenzie (Kai):

They’re tricky. They take advantage.

April (Ivy):

I just don’t know why I can’t make anything better. I look at him and it’s hurting him so bad and I can’t fix it.

Kenzie (Kai):

Kinda gotta fix the sort of the thing, right? Rather than the thing itself.

April (Ivy):

This feels so much bigger than me.

Kenzie (Kai):

It is. That’s why there’s a small army here doing the work.

April (Ivy):

So, why do I feel personally responsible?

Kenzie (Kai):

Because no one told you shit, that’s why. Until it was on you. That’s not your fault. I’ve known about this since I was a kid. It’s always been a communal thing. It’s always been: this is how this place is and we’ve gotta fix it but like no one caused it. And you come in and all this shit starts happening and suddenly it’s like, well, it’s on your now. Yeah, of course it makes it feel like it’s your fault.

April:

Ivy turns to her and searches her eyes with her own.

April (Ivy):

But it’s – it’s not, right?

Kenzie (Kai):

No.

April (Ivy):

Like I didn’t do this by somehow like –

Kenzie (Kai):

I mean, you didn’t break the Heart of Wildmoore. You didn’t let this creature in.

April (Ivy):

But I’m not supposed to exist.

Kenzie (Kai):

I think we could say that about a lot of us.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I guess, but like especially me. I don’t know. All this stuff has been happening. My dads – nobody even knows what I am. What if I like caused all of this by being born? (scoffs) I don’t know.

Kenzie (Kai):

Well then all this shit would’ve started happening about fifteen years ago, Ivy and it didn’t. Well, I guess that’s not actually true.

April (Ivy):

Can you go back to saying that it’s not my fault? Cecause I liked that a bit better.

Kenzie (Kai):

No, I meant, it’s not your fault. But things have been weird for almost fifteen years. Whatever’s been going on here has been going on for longer than we knew. Or at least had a erason for which is the missing part of the heart. But you didn’t, as a baby, steal the Hearth of Wildmoore, Ivy, so I think it’s not your falut. And not to say another rude thing, but you look like you’ve had a rough night and maybe you should get some sleep. I’ll keep my creepy, horror stories for another night.

April (Ivy):

Oh, no, did you have something else to tell me?

Kenzie (Kai):

You didn’t want to talk about it.

April:

Ivy like flops back onto the bed.

April (Ivy):

What is it? (laughs) Lay it on me.

Kenzie (Kai):

It’s a shadow creature. They spawn from pain and oppression. They’re not uncommon. I mean what is every colonized land built on aside from pain and oppression so they thrive here. But, uh, this one is extremely powerful. With the barrier up, it should’ve been kept out but I think that somehow, the Heart has been feeding it all of these years. And it also seems like familiar with you. Like it knows you. But it’s old. It’s really old. And it hasn’t burnt itself out yet.

April (Ivy):

I always thought it felt familiar in a weird way so how do we kill it? Getting rid of shame and oppression.

Kenzie (Kai):

(scoffs) Like we have to kill everything that’s coming in. The barrier has to go back up. We can keep fighting off what gets through but they’re going to keep coming. This place is going to be overrun if we don’t fix, like I said, the source. We need that stone. That part of the Heart. It’s magically bound, that’s the only way.

April (Ivy):

I don’t even know where to start.

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t think anybody does and that’s why no one’s started anything.

April (Ivy):

If we leave Wildmoore and go look for Sarah, I feel like that won’t help.

Kenzie (Kai):

Leaving won’t help, finding Sarah won’t help, finding the stone and putting it back in it’s place will help. Whatever that means.

April (Ivy):

But who else is going to know where it is if not her? (sighs)

April:

Ivy takes her hands and balls them into fists and pounds them on her head.

April (Ivy):

I just feel like I’ve been thinking in circles about this ever since I found out and nothing I can think of feels right. And for some reason I did one thing right tonight and I was able to help Adam. I just need that certainty about everything else.

Kenzie (Kai):

Well, you gotta take a win. You saved something today.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, but I fucked myself over, didn’t I?

Kenzie (Kai):

You don’t give yourself enough credit, Ivy.

April:

She sits up and looks at Kai.

April (Ivy):

Aren’t you the one who said you saw darkness in my eyes?

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, but why does that mean it fucked you up? Why don’t you use it?

Kenzie (MC):

Caleb and Sawyer, you find Ivy and Adam huddled close together in a conversation. But as you approach, they come out of it.

April (Ivy):

What are you guys supposed to be now?

Kenzie (Adam):

Larry and Bob!

April (Ivy):

Oh, from Veggie Tales!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yes, Larry and Bob.

Mads (Caleb):

Try again. Please try again.

April (Ivy):

I’m sorry, guys, I really – I have no idea.

Kenzie (MC):

Sam comes waddling over.

Kenzie (Adam):

Oh! Oh, it’s the rubber ducky in the Sesame Street thing!

April (Ivy):

My dads never showed me Sesame Street.

Kenzie (Adam):

There’s a vampire on it. You’d probably like it.

April (Ivy):

Really?

Brennan (Sawyer):

One. Ha-ha-ha.

April (Ivy):

Why would they have a vampire on a children’s show?

Kenzie (Adam):

It’s like a little puppet

Brennan (Sawyer):

Two.

Mads (Caleb):

The Count.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ha-ha-ha.

Mads (Caleb):

And he teaches kids to count.

April (Ivy):

That’s pretty cute actually. Um, you guys look super sober.

Mads (Caleb):

Unfortunately, yeah.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, let’s fix that. Let’s go!

Apri:

And she like, without looking behind to see if any of you are following her, just heads immediately to her dads’ good liquor cabinet in a little off room.

Mads:

I kinda lean into Sawyer’s space a little bit.

Mads (Caleb):

You don’t have to, also.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I was thinking about not tonight.

Mads (Caleb):

That’s okay. Do you mind if I…?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah! Yeah, you can.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay.

April:

Ivy skips back over to them.

April (Ivy):

Okay, so this is like literally three hundred years old. I think this is the perfect occasion.

Kenzie (Sam):

I’m sorry. Why do you have liquor that’s three hundred years old? Like before the founding of –

April (Ivy):

You can do it.

Kenzie (Sam):

Mm-mmm. Never mind. That makes sense a little bit more. It doesn’t make sense that you have it but it makes sense, the timeline of America.

April (Ivy):

Sam, I’m just joking. It’s like older than all of us but that’s about it. Cheers?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’ll cheers with I think water tonight.

April (Ivy):

Okay party pooper.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay, shoot, I’ll drink.

April:

Ivy takes a huge swig and then immediately hands it to Sawyer.

April (Ivy):

Hell yeah, bud!

Brennan:

And I will put my thumb over the top and push it back and then bring it on over to Caleb. Give you a wink.

Mads:

Caleb watches you and smiles. He takes it. Does the little sniff over the top and it’s death to him. Swigs it back.

Kenzie (MC):

You pass it to Sam and Sam takes a swig of it and then you guys all hear,

Kenzie (Jordan):

Hey, Sam.

Kenzie (MC):

And walking past is Jordan in a Tomb Raider, Lara Croft costume. And Sam goes,

Kenzie (Sam):

Oh, hey, Jordan!

Kenzie (MC):

And then takes another swig and hands it back.

April:

Ivy’s head just like – her nose is like a magnet to Jordan’s body as she walks past.

Mads:

Caleb moves a little bit closer to Sam and goes,

Mads (Caleb):

Hey, Jordan?

April (Ivy):

Hey, Jordan?

Mads (Caleb):

I didn’t realize you guys were on that kind of friendly basis. Just, you know just –

Kenzie (Sam):

She’s like a really good band player and she’s a cool DJ. And she watched me smash my nose into the concrete of the quarry so I feel like if she says, “Hey, Sam,” I should say, “Hey,” back.

April:

Ivy reached out and grips Sam’s face.

Kenzie (MC):

The duck bill like pops out.

April:

She takes the end of the duck bill and puts it on top of his head so she can get close to his face and communicated effectively and she says,

April (Ivy):

Sam, nobody alerted me to Jordan being so hot before Homecoming. I don’t know how I missed that. But now I’m aware. And, you need to be more aware.

Kenzie (Sam):

Oh, well, I mean, we hung out at Homecoming. ‘Cause I couldn’t find you guys so I just – I just like went up to apologize for being an idiot in front of her at the quarry party and using her wonderful stage as a means for hospitalization. And she seems cool.

April (Ivy):

She seems cool.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Seems cool, huh?

Brennan:

I poke Sam.

April (Ivy):

Sam, do you think Jordan is hot?

Kenzie (Sam):

I – I guess.

April (Ivy):

You guess!?

Kenzie (Sam):

She is very nice looking.

April (Ivy):

Would you be interested in kissing Jordan?

Kenzie (Sam):

(scoffs) What are you talking about? What are you guys talking about!? (gasps) What’s happening?

Brennan (Sawyer):

You know what we’re talking about.

April:

Ivy is still holding Sam’s face in an iron grip. She is not letting them go.

Mads:

I am going to take Ivy’s hand and slowly remove it from Sam’s face and like look at Ivy, give her like a, “I got this.”

April:

Ivy rolls her eyes and kinda steps back for a sec.

Mads:

I put both of my hands on Sam’s shoulders and I lean down a little bit so I’m making like perfect eye contact with them.

Mads (Caleb):

Sam, how do you feel, about flirting with her?

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb, I’ve never flirted a single day in my entire life, so not well.

Mads (Caleb):

Well, practice makes perfect right?

Kenzie (Sam):

Do you think she was flirting with me?

Mads (Caleb):

I think that was more than just a hey.

Kenzie (Sam):

Oooooooh my goodness. Oh my god. Oh! Ooof! No! Absolutely not I’m not gonna go flirt with her then. Absolutely not. I don’t know how to flirt! Why would I go flirt with somebody who obviously knows how to flirt and was flirting!? No, that’s never going to happen.

April (Ivy):

She was flirting with you!

Kenzie (Sam):

I wasn’t flirting back ‘cause I didn’t know that was happening!

April (Ivy):

Okay but you could literally go flirt back, right now?

Kenzie (Sam):

What would I say? Quack, quack, I’m a duck ‘cause my friend dressed me up like one.

April (Ivy):

Yes, because you look fucking cute. And Jordan would love it. Sam, Sam. Please.

Kenzie (Sam):

I thought you didn’t know Jordan like a second ago and now you think she’ll love me being cute in a duck costume?

Mads (Caleb):

Sam, everyone loves you being cute in a duck costume because it’s you in a duck costume.

April (Ivy):

Literally the best thing ever.

Mads (Caleb):

You’re adorable.

Kenzie (Sam):

You guys have to say that ‘cause you’re my friends.

Mads (Caleb):

No.

Kenzie (Sam):

That’s true. Caleb would tell me if I look like shit. Usually he does. Hold on, I need this back

Kenzie (MC):

Grabs the bottle of unspecified liquor back from Adam, like rips it back and is like,

Kenzie (Sam):

I’m gonna need this.

Kenzie (MC):

And takes another chug of it.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay but like if we’re thinking about it, she’s like way, way, way out of my league.

Mads (Caleb):

Sam (scoffs) what’s your league?

April (Ivy):

Sam, you asked me to Homecoming.

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, knowing you would say no.

Mads (Caleb):

You danced with Ivy Duncan at Homecoming.

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, ‘cause we’re friends.

April (Ivy):

Sam, I have given you so much social cred. Use it. For good.

Kenzie (MC):

They like wiggle, shake themselves out.

Kenzie (Sam):

I’m gonna need to not wear this duck thing though, okay? ‘Cause that’s boring.

Mads (Caleb):

I’ll allow it.

Kenzie (Sam):

Instead, I’ll just look kinda like Charlie Brown.

April (Ivy):

Also cute.

Kenzie (Sam):

Well then how do I be hot then? Like how do I be hot? ‘Cause I’m always just cute ‘cause I look like I’m fuckin’ eight years old.

April (Ivy):

Sam, this is how you be hot. And everybody fuckin’ take notes here, alright? It’s all confidence. It’s all in that little cute noggin of yours.

April:

She like pokes their – pokes their little forehead with her finger.

April (Ivy):

It’s all in there, just think your hot and you will be hot. Are you thinking it?

Kenzie (Sam):

I’m trying to but like –

April (Ivy):

Sam, think you are hot.

Kenzie (Sam):

I’m hot, I’m hot, I’m hot, I’m hot, I’m hot, I’m hot

April (Ivy):

Okay go!

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t know what the words mean anymore. Fuck!

April:

And Ivy kinda like shoves them in the direction of Jordan.

Brennan:

Sawyer’s been looking for Jane throughout this conversation. Just like standing with them.

Kenzie (MC):

She’s not in this space that you see, um, but you do see Kai. You see her walking down the hallway, seems to be just looking in rooms. Kai is not dressed up which isn’t really that surprising. She has on this black button down that has yellow squares depicting pineapples overlapped with some sort of white flower and a red baseball cap that’s one backwards with her hair in two braids underneath. These large colorful dangly earrings that, um, no one’s ever seen her wear before. But she kinda catches your eye and gives you a nod and then starts walking straight towards you.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Finally left the shed?

Kenzie (MC):

As she gets up, she goes,

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t celebrate Halloween but it’s so fucking loud and pakced in here I can’t possibly know what’s going on from outside.

April (Ivy):

Hey!

Kenzie (MC):

She is not shy with you. She comes right up, standing fairly close to you, closer than Sawyer or Caleb get to you. There’s an obvious familiarity, intimacy of sorts, um, and I don’t think you’re really used to this because Natalie, a girl that was in love with you, was usually so shy in your presence that her eyes rarely left your eyes. Adam, has like this shared sense of possessiveness with you and by that I don’t mean ownership or lack of consent, I just mean like you have both gotten to know each other for so long that you move together and you touch each other unconsciously. Your eyes wander where they please. There’s no embarrassment or second guessing or um, anything when it comes to that. But Kai doesn’t seem to have any qualms despite what your level of comfort is so her eyes wander over every inch of your body. And it’s not like whatever exposed skin isn’t something she hasn’t seen before, but like, not a slightest twitch of a muscle changes on her face as she takes you in. You can’t tell, the same as when she saw you in your Homecoming dress, which was actually probably the first time she had ever commented an opinion on you in general. You can’t tell what she is thinking about it. But I think maybe that’s kinda the draw? Like the fact that from the start it didn’t matter to her. Like you were covered in blood when you guys first hooked up. She’s the only one, including Adam, who ever explicitly questions why you were trying to hold yourself back and didn’t just give in. And has explicitly stated that she doesn’t care.

And Adam has proved that in some ways as well. Like the fact that when you were together, you never had a feeding problem because it was just him and you both thought he was going ot inherit the werewolf gene so he could take it and there wasn’t even a second questioning about it. It was almost a sexual thing.

I don’t think Kai has pushed you in any way but has made it abundantly clear that you being you, which I think sometimes translates to Ivy as losing control, maybe isn’t a bad thing and doesn’t bother her. So, it’s been a bit of a learning curve with her and she kinda surprises you because she shows up on her schedule, not yours. And like she chooses. And she won’t approach unless she wants something to happen. So, in a sense, it’s been a guessing game.

But as that happens, you kinda feel Adam’s arm like wind around your waist and pull you into his side. And Kai’s eyes just flick up to him and flick back to you. She says,

Kenzie (Kai):

Hey.

April:

Ivy’s blushing. She honestly wasn’t even sure that she could or hadn’t in so long she’d forgotten what it felt like. But as she feels Adam’s arm around her waist, her cheeks are on fire.

April (Ivy):

I didn’t know you’d be coming.

Kenzie (Kai):

I wasn’t going to but it’s just really fucking loud in here and it’s hard to keep eyes when I can’t keep eyes if you know what I mean.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What’s your costume?

Kenzie (Kai):

Like I said, I don’t celebrate Halloween.

Brennan (Sawyer):

(mocking) Like I said I don’t – do you want to be like macho man Randy Savage?

Kenzie (Kai):

No.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Mmmm. That’s all I had.

Kenzie (Kai):

Ivy, why is there a – why is there a dead girl in your house?

Mads (Caleb):

Do you mean like you found a body or like a…?

April:

Ivy grabs Kai and pulls her into the same like offshoot room where she got the liquor from. There’s nobody in there.

April (Ivy):

What the fuck are you talking about?

Brennan:

I would definitely be following.

Mads:

I’m following. I pull Adam by the ear for a minute until he gets the point.

Kenzie (Adam):

Jeez. What the hell!?

April (Ivy):

A dead girl in my house?

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah the girl from like the sixties who’s just chillin’ in the other room.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Jane.

April (Ivy):

Oh my god. Oh my god.

Mads (Caleb):

Ghost bus.

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t know sure!

April (Ivy):

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Why would you use that word choice?

Brennan (Sawyer):

She’s dead!

April (Ivy):

Okay, but ghost and dead are kinda like – they imply different things.

Kenzie (Kai):

I didn’t say she was ghost. I just said she was a dead girl. I don’t fucking know if she’s a ghost.

April (Ivy):

Kai!

Brennan (Sawyer):

She’s a ghost.

Mads (Caleb):

Definitely super a ghost.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Named Jane.

April (Ivy):

You just fucking scared the shit out me. Sawyer? Is this the person that you brought into my home?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Who Jane?

April (Ivy):

Yes, Jane.

Brennan (Sawyer):

The dead ghost bus girl?

April (Ivy):

The dead girl. The ghost girl.

Mads (Caleb):

If you didn’t lose your phone so much, these things wouldn’t happen.

April (Ivy):

Caleb, I will actually hit you.

Kenzie (Kai):

Wait where did you find her?

Brennan (Sawyer):

In a bus.

Kenzie (MC):

I don’t know if Kai laughs but there’s a recognition of something that like clicks. And she goes,

Kenzie (Kai):

It’s fucking Halloween… she came off the bus?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah.

April (Ivy):

Oh, no. Oh, oh, fuck.

Mads (Caleb):

Why are you saying oh no?

April (Ivy):

Since none of you guys read any historical anything –

Mads (Caleb):

Rude.

April (Ivy):

Halloween is when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. It’s what it’s celebrating.

Mads (Caleb):

Oooookay and?

April (Ivy):

So, I saw the same girl on the bus last time but when I tried to leave with her, she couldn’t come with me.

Mads (Caleb):

Right, so, now she left so now she –

Kenzie (Kai):

Well, where’s the bus?

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s gonna be gone until tomorrow.

April (Ivy):

The bus is gone?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, it was at its last stop. And then I was like – I didn’t want to get on the bus but we gotta find some answers here, man.

Mads (Caleb):

I told him not to get on the bus to begin with.

Kenzie (Adam):

Uh, wait, so you’re saying that a ghost came off the bus and now we can’t return the ghost to it’s bus.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, that’s what Sawyer’s saying.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, til tomorrow. Til tomorrow.

April (Ivy):

No, because the veil will not be the same!

Kenzie (MC):

Adam slaps you like does – slaps you up the backside of the head, Sawyer.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ah, ow!

Kenzie (Adam):

Hey!

Mads (Caleb):

Watch it.

Kenzie (Adam):

Think. Just think next time.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I was thinking!

Kenzie (Adam):

You took a ghost off a bus!

Brennan (Sawyer):

I was thinking!

Kenzie (Adam):

That’s not really thinking!

Brennan (Sawyer):

I didn’t know what the issues were going to be on Halloween night!

April (Ivy):

You two shut up, okay? Shut up, all of you.

April:

Ivy points at all the boys.

Kenzie (MC):

Adam immediately.

Brennan:

So does Sawyer.

April (Ivy):

Kai, will the veil still be this thin by tomorrow?

Kenzie (Kai):

Maybe. I don’t necessarily know exactly the time line.

April (Ivy):

So, Sawyer, you brought a ghost not just into my home, but into this realm? This time period? Through the barrier, just a ghost.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Her death is related to Ryan Bishop.

Kenzie (Kai):

I’m sorry?

April (Ivy):

How do you know that?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Um, I found some books and some pictures and some old paperwork and I spent a lot of time looking through them and when I went on the bus, there were a bunch of dead people on the bus that I saw that were in those photos. And I didn’t think we would have another chance so I got Jane off the bus to ask questions.

April (Ivy):

Oh my god. They all died in Wildmoore?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, around different areas and stuff.

April (Ivy):

Did they all die the same way as Ryan?

Brennan (Sawyer):

There were a lot of similarities. There was also I think some of that black stuff her eand there.

April (Ivy):

So, so maybe my dads, all those people on the bus.

Brennan (Sawyer):

We don’t know. But that’s why it’s goo to bering Jane here and I’m not goo at being Sherlcok Holmes. You guys are much better at asking the right questions. So, we need to talk to Jane. She’s very confused. She thinks she’s in the sixties. She doesn’t know what the Internet is. She likes Elvis.

April (Ivy):

Who doesn’t?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, that’s true.

Mads (Caleb):

I know this is going to be rough for you, Ivy, but try not to flirt with her.

April (Ivy):

Wait, why? That ships kinda sailed already.

Mads (Caleb):

She’s kinda really, uh…

April (Ivy):

No, I mean, when we –

April:

Ivy kinda just perceptively glances at Adam.

April (Ivy):

I mean like when I met her on the bus the first time, I did invite her to come with me

Mads (Caleb):

And did you notice that she seemed really reserved about it?

April (Ivy):

No! She didn’t –

Mads (Caleb):

Ivy…

April (Ivy):

She was pretty responsive but, I mean –

Mads (Caleb):

Did you try to hold her hand? Did you try to do anything physical? Did she seem a little bit worried about that?

April (Ivy):

Okay well that’s kinda private Caleb, exactly what happened.

Kenzie (Adam):

You tried to bring a random ghost girl on a bus to my party?

April (Ivy):

Adam, we were broken up!

Kenzie (Adam):

No! I’m not mad that you tried to bring somebody to my party, I’m talking about the fact that you tried to bring some random girl on a random bus.

April (Ivy):

She is hot! It’s not my fault. I didn’t know she was a ghost at the time. She was just a hot girl in a leather jacket. I don’t – I don’t – okay, you are all pissing me off so much tonight. The only person who ahs not pissed me off so far, is Sam and I wish they were here.

Kenzie (Kai):

Okay, I don’t really think I have done anything except ask you why there’s a ghost in your house.

Mads (Caleb):

Sometimes you breathe and it kinda wheezes.

Kenzie (MC):

Kai looks at you.

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, I’m gonna stand by the fact that I’m not a massive fan of any of you. I’m gonna stand by that fact that I first said.

April (Ivy):

Okay, these are my best friends.

Mads (Caleb):

You’re not even wearing a costume.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, you’re not participating at all.

Kenzie (Kai):

I wasn’t coming!

April (Ivy):

And yet here you are.

April:

When Ivy says that, she’s been arguing with the whole group, but when she says that she kinda focuses on Kai and just glances at her mouth for a second and then pulls herself together.

April (Ivy):

So, you’re here to make sure I’m okay? Is that why you’re here?

Kenzie (Kai):

I just couldn’t hear anything from out-fucking-side.

April (Ivy):

Okay, I’m going to go talk to Jane.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey, yeah, one thing. A little extra note that I found. I’m not really sure what it entirely means but it talked about there was some sort of belief that someone brought something from the old continent to the new one. Whatever that means. Maybe bring that up, I don’t know. Also, that old pool place that was closed? That’s a spot where there was a murder nearby. At the Wild – at the public pool. Yeah, that’s all – that’s everything so have at it.

April (Ivy):

Thank you. Thank you, Sawyer. Maybe after this, we could read and get all the information that you are so terribly giving to all of us right now.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, I just gave it all to you. I lost all the notes.

Kenzie (MC):

Caleb, your phone goes off.

Mads:

I look at it.

Kenzie (MC):

It’s Q.

Mads:

I open it up.

Kenzie (Q):

We still good. ‘Cause I’m here. Where are you at?

Mads:

I kinda like close my eyes and smirk to myself a little bit.

Mads (Caleb):

Depends, are you wearing the costume?

Kenzie (MC):

There’s a prolonged dot, dot, dot.

Kenzie (Q):

Yeah, I’m wearing the fucking costume, Caleb.

Mads (Caleb):

Perfect. Meet you out front.

Kenzie (MC):

He likes it.

Mads (Caleb):

I need to pee.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay. What should I do?

Mads (Caleb):

Stay here?

April (Ivy):

Just don’t bring in any more ghost into my house.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, maybe we cap the guest list in like five minutes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey, when we solve this, you’re welcome.

April (Ivy):

Okay, um, so Kai are you coming with me?

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t know, do you want me to? Kinda sounded like you didn’t want me here.

April (Ivy):

Maybe it would be good to have backup if I’m going to go talk to a ghost girl.

Kenzie (Kai):

Great.

April (Ivy):

Awesome.

Kenzie (Kai):

Let’s go talk to ghost girl.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Adam?

Kenzie (Adam):

Do you want me to come?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know, what should we do?

Kenzie (Adam):

I mean it’s a party.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I feel like we should go spy on Sam.

Kenzie (Adam):

He’s doing his thing, man.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, we’ll be really in the shadows.

Kenzie (Adam):

Okay.

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s the best I got.

Kenzie (Adam):

Fine. Okay, yeah, let’s go give the little guy some backup if he needs it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Cool, yeah, yeah unless you want to try an exorcism or something (laughs).

Kenzie (Adam):

What?

Brennan:

I’m walking off.

Kenzie (MC):

Caleb, you go downstairs to the front door, you open and you see Q like standing, almost like trying to hide (laughs) behind the shrubbery at the front of the house, in the costume that you forced him to wear because you were all doing Scooby-Doo. So, he sees you in not a Scooby-Doo costume and immediately just goes,

Kenzie (Q):

Dude, come on!

Mads (Caleb):

There was a costume change issue. But the longer that you hang out in the bushes, you’re really giving the creeper costume, just, you’re selling it.

Kenzie (Q):

I didn’t want to stand in front of the doorway like a creep.

Mads (Caleb):

Again creeper. It’s in the name of the costume, it would have been fitting.

Kenzie (Q):

Alright, can I just come in?

Mads (Caleb):

You can.

Kenzie (Q):

Thank you.

Mads (Caleb):

You look great.

Kenzie (Q):

Sure. You look like you’re wearing a sweater.

Mads (Caleb):

Hey!

Mads:

The nose kept falling off whenever I would talk so I put the nose in my pocket but then I pull it back out and put it on.

Mads (Caleb):

I’m Burt.

Kenzie (Q):

Oh, alright.

Mads (Caleb):

Like Sesame Street. The muppet. Sawyer’s Ernie. He doesn’t know you’re here also. I didn’t really –

Kenzie (Q):

Well, no, that’s fine. I was actually going to try and find him at some point.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah? Like to talk?

Kenzie (Q):

Yeah, yeah, nothing bad. I’m not trying to fuck things up, okay?

Mads (Caleb):

No, I don’t think you’re trying to fuck things up, just he’s sensitive about that. And he doesn’t get sensitive about much.

Kenzie (Q):

Well I’ll just ask if he wants to talk and if he punches me in the face then I guess I deserved it.

Mads (Caleb):

Do you want me to be there for it?

Kenzie (Q):

No, no, I’m gonna talk to him alone.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay.

Kenzie (Q):

Cool.

Mads:

I’m going to start bringing him inside and then before I like point out the direction that most of the stoners are in – they’re in like a room off the side – I do like a half shout over my shoulder just because it’s so fucking loud in here,

Mads (Caleb):

If he does get really riled up please send him in my direction next, thank you.

Kenzie (MC):

Sawyer as you and Adam are walking to see if you can find Sam somewhere in this house, you see your dad.

Brennan:

Wha – wha – my what?

Kenzie (MC):

You see your dad! You see him walking down the hallway. Looks like he’s walking next to Bast and they’re talking to one another and leads him back into a door that Bast unlocks and goes inside and your dad follows him in and they shut the door.

Kenzie (Adam):

Hey, Sawyer, was that your dad?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, plans change. Let’s go.

Kenzie (Adam):

Go where?

Brennan (Sawyer):

What do you fucking mean? We’re going to eavesdrop.

Kenzie (Adam):

They closed the door.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, let’s go see if it’s locked.

Kenzie (Adam):

Okay?

Brennan:

And I’m gonna creep over and see if the door’s locked.

Kenzie (MC):

It is locked.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Shit! I don’t know what to do now. You know how to pick locks?

Kenzie (Adam):

Okay, Sawyer, imagine this, okay? We pick the lock. We open the door and they’re right fucking there.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I see the point.

Kenzie (Adam):

Number one I cannot get in Ivy’s dads – I cannot be in worse graces than I currently am, um, and so that would be a really bad thing for me to do.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Cool – hold on, I’ll be right back!

Brennan:

And I’ll run to the kitchen and grab a red solo cup and run back. I guess I’ll try to find like a pen, poke a hole in the cup.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think this is what you’re supposed to do.

Brennan:

I’ll put it up to the door.

Kenzie (MC):

It is so loud in this house.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I can’t hear anything. There’s a party going on.

Kenzie (Adam):

Yeah, also like he knows we’re out here.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you think Ivy has any old like kiddie spy equipment?

Kenzie (Adam):

Like maybe just asking Ivy what’s going on in the fucking room.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, no, no, she doesn’t know.

Kenzie (MC):

He grabs your shoulders and pulls you really close to his face.

Kenzie (Adam):

Sawyer, you have a friend who is a vampire. And you have a boyfriend? I don’t know if you guys are there yet. That is a werwofl. Think about if for a second.

Brennan (Sawyer):

But I’m a Sawyer and I can do this by myself.

Brennan:

I get down on the ground and I look underneath the crack of the door.

Kenzie (MC):

You can see that there is enough light that maybe a lamp is on inside and you can see a couple chairs and you can see your dad’s shoes.

Brennan:

I get up.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Fuck. They definitely heard everything that we’re saying right now. At least well, Bast did. Hold on, let me try something. Bast if you can hear this, open the door.

Kenzie (Adam):

You wait for a couple secs and the door almost hits you in the face and you just see Bast’s face looking down at you.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey! What’s up, Big D?

Kenzie (Adam):

You called.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I just – I didn’t think you were listening to me specifically at that moment. Hey, Dad.

Kenzie (William Hook):

Hey, Sawyer!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Having fun?

Kenzie (William):

I don’t know if signing contracts is fun but sure.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Contracts. Question mark after that word.

Kenzie (William):

Sawyer, you know that we’re going into a deal to buy the southern factories.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Cool, yeah, it’s business stuff. Yeah, okay. Well, I’ll be around.

Brennan:

And I’ll just slowly start trying to push the door shut on Bast –

Kenzie (MC):

Bast pulls it back closed.

Kenzie (Adam):

Well, that was weird.

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s like a normal conversation, what do you mean?

Brennan:

And I’ll start walking towards Sam or trying to find Sam.

Kenzie (MC):

Ivy, Kai is following you towards the room where Jane is and as you guys are walking she says,

Kenzie (Kai):

So…

April (Ivy):

Don’t… what?

Kenzie (Kai):

You said don’t so okay.

April (Ivy):

What?

Kenzie (Kai):

I think you’ve got my signals so…

April (Ivy):

It’s a little complicated right now.

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, I noticed. Because he’s got it too.

April (Ivy):

Uh-huh.

Kenzie (Kai):

Must be fun.

April (Ivy):

Yeah I’m having a fucking blast.

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah that was sarcasm. I realize it didn’t come out as such.

April (Ivy):

You were being real obvious.

Kenzie (Kai):

I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to be.

April (Ivy):

I don’t know. I don’t know if you’re supposed to be.

Kenzie (Kai):

I didn’t realize he didn’t know. So, I’ll be less obvious.

April (Ivy):

No, he doesn’t but like we weren’t actually like together for a while. It wasn’t like official til Homecoming. I’m not trying to make you feel weird.

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t feel weird.

April (Ivy):

Cool, great, just me. I feel weird. Great.

Kenzie (Kai):

Well don’t. You just say the word and this is done.

April:

Ivy looks up at her.

April (Ivy):

Okay, I – I – sure. It’s just a little more complex than that I think.

Kenzie (Kai):

I mean, I don’t know if it is. If you want to just be with him, then you can just be with him. And I will stay outside of the house. I’m not asking you to date me or anything –

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I know we’re not dating. Okay, can we talk about this after we talk to the ghost girl?

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah.

April (Ivy):

Okay, thanks.

Kenzie (MC):

You guys come into the room where she is. She has her backpack sitting right next to her in a chair. She seems to be talking with somebody in a devil’s mask. And doesn’t have a drink in her hand but does have a cigarette and is smoking indoors.

April:

Ivy takes her blonde wig off and like shakes out her hair.

April (Ivy):

Hi! Um, Jane.

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh, hi, Ivy. Sorry I missed the party last time.

April (Ivy):

No, it’s okay. Honestly, you didn’t miss anything good so… you’re here now though.

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah, uh, somebody named Trent asked me to come to the party. I think he knew you.

April (Ivy):

Trent… right.

Kenzie (Jane):

He’s wearing something really weird and he talked funny but.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, that’s Trent for ya. Um, hey –

April:

Ivy like lifts up the devil mask costume wearer.

April (Ivy):

Hey, um, can you leave?

Kenzie (MC):

The kid goes, “Sure, I’ll talk to you later,” to Jane. And then walks out of the room.

April (Ivy):

Sorry, if that was rude. I just really wanted to talk to you.

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh, um, okay. Well, I guess that’s what we do at parties.

April:

Ivy glances over at Kai like, “What the fuck do I do?” Kinda like widens her eyes.

Kenzie (MC):

Kai just has crossed her arms and is standing feet about hips width apart watching this conver – listening.

Kenzie (Kai):

Where you from Jane?

Kenzie (MC):

And Jane goes,

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh, no place I really like to talk about.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, that’s fine. But were were you before this? Uh, Trent said you’ve been traveling for a while?

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh, yeah, um, I just – I didn’t want to be where I was so I bought a bus ticket and got on a bus to just go and I’d stop whenever I felt like stopping.

April (Ivy):

Right, but specifically. What’s the last place you remember?

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh, um, there’s a bus station somewhere, well no… probably you at the quarry.

April:

Can I Gaze Into the Abyss?

Kenzie (MC):

What are you looking for as you do so?

April:

I want to know how she died.

Kenzie (MC):

Then roll your dark.

April:

Um, I got a six.

Kenzie (MC):

As you take a moment to really look at her, you start to see a bunch of like swirling colors. Just in constant turmoil but you can’t break through it.

April (Ivy):

Jane, this is my friend Kai.

Kenzie (Jane):

Hi.

April (Ivy):

Kai was going to ask you a question….

Kenzie (MC):

Kai looks at you and she looks back to Jane.

Kenzie (Kai):

How’s it feel to be in this house?

Kenzie (MC):

And Jane goes,

Kenzie (Jane):

Um… I guess it’s okay. I don’t think I’ve ever been here before. I mean I’ve never been to this town, I’m just passing through it.

April (Ivy):

You’ve never been to Wildmoore before?

Kenzie (Jane):

I wasn’t trying to stop here. I was just passing through but, you know, the party seemed enticing and I’ve been on a bus for a while so –

April (Ivy):

But you know, last time I saw you, was also Wildmoore.

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah!

April:

Ivy looks around.

April (Ivy):

Um, you know, Jane, it’s my birthday.

Kenzie (Jane):

Your birthday’s on Halloween?

April (Ivy):

Yes, mm-hmm.

Kenzie (Jane):

Well, Happy Birthday.

April (Ivy):

Thank you. When is your birthday.

Kenzie (Jane):

November thirteenth.

April (Ivy):

What year?

Kenzie (Jane):

Oh, um, I’m sure it was kinda the same year as you. 1948.

April (Ivy):

Yep, okay, so… and – and so that would make both of us –

Kenzie (Jane):

I’m eighteen.

April (Ivy):

Eighteen! Eighteen.

April:

Ivy gets this like wave of sadness when Jane says eighteen. It’s only like few years away for her but Ivy’s always imagined her life stretching out for so long and she like looks at this girl who is so lost, obviously, but also so young and the way that she’s stuck at that age forever. For a second, Ivy is just so, so grateful that she got to grow up. She says,

April (Ivy):

Jane, do you – what do you want to do tonight?

Kenzie (Jane):

I haven’t really thought about it. It’s just kinda nice to sit in a place that doesn’t move.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, it’s Halloween. It’s my birthday. It’s a party! Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? I’ll help you do it.

Kenzie (Jane):

Kinda want to find where I’m meant to be.

April (Ivy):

Do you want to dance?

Kenzie (Jane):

I don’t know if I know how to dance to this music. You listen to some strange – Trent told me but this is some weird stuff, I’m not going to lie.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, it’s not just you. My friends think it’s weird too. But I think we do have some stuff that would be more your speed.

April:

Ivy stands up and holds out her hand to Jane.

April (Ivy):

You coming?

Kenzie (MC):

Jane looks at you for a second, looks at Kai.

Kenzie (Jane):

We’re just dancing, yeah? Nothing to it.

April (Ivy):

Yeah.

April:

Ivy takes one step closer to her and says,

April (Ivy):

Do you remember what I told you last time? How things are a little different here?

Kenzie (Jane):

Yeah.

April (Ivy):

I just want you to know you don’t have to be worried about anything.

Kenzie (MC):

She looks behind you to Kai and Kai goes,

Kenzie (Kai):

Definitely not from me.

Kenzie (MC):

And she very hesitantly takes your hand.

April:

Ivy reaches out her other hand takes Kai and leads them both out into the main hall and… oh wait, can I Gaze Into the Abyss to find my phone?

Kenzie (MC):

This is not how Gaze Into The Abyss is supposed to be used, but I’m gonna allow it.

April:

I got a ten!

Kenzie (MC):

Goodness gracious, your phone is under the comforter in your room because you forgot about it when you were making out with Adam.

April:

I let Kai and Jane dance a bit.

Kenzie (MC):

Kai’s like,

Kenzie (Kai):

I didn’t want to do this.

April (Ivy):

Shh, shh, shh, just one second. One second.

April:

And she runs up and grabs her phone and sees that she has all these missed texts from Sawyer and Caleb. She runs back downstairs and plugs her phone into the speakers. Ivy puts on “it’s Not Unusual.” Like whips around and locks eyes with first Jane, and then Kai and somehow, while still being her hot Ivy self, dances in this silly, goofy way towards both of them and reaches out her arms towards them to have them join her.

Kenzie (MC):

Sawyer as you and Adam are walking through the house to find Sam, you see somebody you didn’t really want to see after Homecoming. But you see Q. And he seems to be on the hunt for something. And Adam having no idea that anyting is untoward here, goes,

Kenzie (Adam):

Ah! Master Kush, how’s it going?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, man. Yeah, I get it. I get it, Caleb.

Kenzie (MC):

And Master Kush sees and starts walking towards you, hands stuffed in his pockets. You recognize that he’s dressed as if he was part of your original group costume that completely fell apart. You recognize The Creeper. And he comes up to you and goes,

Kenzie (Q):

Hey, Adam. Sawyer, could we talk for a sec?

Brennan (Sawyer):

You wanna talk?

Kenzie (Q):

Yep.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What’s with the costume?

Kenzie (Q):

I was told I had to wear this to get in.

Brennan (Sawyer):

By who?

Kenzie (Q):

That’s kinda why I want to talk.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah… what – sure.

Kenzie (MC):

And Q kinda pulls you into a side room. There’s still people in it but it’s just out of the main hallway. And he leans against the wall and he shoves his hands into his pockets and he isn’t look at you, just looking away. And he starts out rough. He starts out by saying,

Kenzie (Q):

You know, you started the fight. I wasn’t trying to punch you in the face.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I know.

Kenzie (Q):

But I guess, um, I’m still sorry about it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay.

Kenzie (Q):

And, uh –

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t have much to say to you so say what you’re going to say.

Kenzie (Q):

So I know that you and Caleb are whatever you guys are now and I’m not asking for us to be friends but I have an arrangement with him and he seems cool and I don’t want to fuck it up for him or you guys or whatever it is. I literally pretended to be his date – I’m literally not trying to fuck it up, okay? That was an insane thing for me to do – to agree to. So I’m trying to – I don’t know, um, sorry for punching you in the face even though you started it and I’m sorry for saying that thing I said. And I told him that by the way, what I said.

Brennan (Sawyer):

He knows what you said?

Kenzie (Q):

Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like exactly what you said?

Kenzie (Q):

Well, I didn’t really want to say it again, out loud, but I – yeah, he got the gist very clearly.

Brennan (Sawyer):

And you’re what? Like cool around him? You’re not a complete, fucking dickhead?

Kenzie (Q):

Well I don’t know if I’m not a complete fucking dickhead but I’d like to think I wasn’t a complete fucking dickhead.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know, man, like what’s with the shift. ‘Cause like a month ago you were this shitty, fucking friend that like, I don’t know. Everyone in the crew was kinda just like not – they were just being friends with you because you had weed.

Kenzie (Q):

Yeah, I’m really aware of that. I wasn’t really trying to be friends with you or any of them. I was running a business. This is what I do. And it’s what I’m going to continue to do. I just realized that maybe there’s a better way to do it and I realized that when you fucked off and, uh, Caleb came around and offered so you don’t have to be –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Caleb offered?

Kenzie (Q):

Yeah. You all have connections that I don’t have. So, when you left that really fucked up the whole plan here so –

Brennan (Sawyer):

So, you’re what? Apologizing and getting in close with one of us so you can just like expand your business. This is what the apologies for?

Kenzie (Q):

No, I’m apologizing so that when I work with Caleb, or if I text Caleb being like, “Hey, can you do this for me?” you don’t get mad at him for that.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I just don’t think that that’s going to happen.

Kenzie (Q):

You mean you’re going to be mad at him?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I just don’t think that you’re going to get anything out of any of us.

Kenzie (Q):

Well, he got me into this party.

Brennan (Sawyer):

And that’s the last thing that he’ll do.

Kenzie (Q):

Sawyer, I don’t think you really have that kind of control over what he chooses to do. And you don’t have to be involved, you don’t have to do any of this but you shouldn’t – you kinda should stop hating me because I choose to do this.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I just don’t really want to be around you.

Kenzie (Q):

I’m not trying to be around you. I’m trying to say I’m not trying to fuck up your releatinship. And so –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Right. But you see how you’re going to be talking and trying to get things out of the person I’m in a relationship with? So, I’m going to be around you is what you’re telling me and I just think that it’s toxic to be around you. I spent like the last year and a half wishing I wasn’t around you.

Kenzie (MC):

He shakes his head. Swallows thickly.

Kenzie (Q):

Yeah, man. You know what? You really made me wish I didn’t even try. Fuck you.

Kenzie (MC):

And he leaves.

Brennan:

And I’ll text Adam.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Where you at?

Kenzie (MC):

You get a voice message. And it’s loud. You can hear the music through it but Adam is like screaming into the phone, he’s like,

Kenzie (Adam):

Sawyer! Okay! I’m in the foyer. And it doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t look great!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh god.

Brennan:

And I’ll kinda just watch Q walk away and feel like this equal part of like guilt and a little bit of shame over how the conversation went but shake it off as if this person could just get the fuck away, then I’ll be fine. And then I will keep moving on to Adam.

Kenzie (MC):

You find your way back down into the foyer and you see Adam like hiding like behind the stairwell and he grabs your foot as you’re walking down.

Kenzie (Adam):

Sawyer! Come here!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh god, okay!

Brennan:

And I’ll go down and I’ll try to Scooby-Doo out with him.

Kenzie (Adam):

Okay look, right over there.

Kenzie (MC):

You see that Sam is like leaning against the wall looking like a really small person. Like visibly nervous, you can see that he’s just twiddling with their hands. And Jordan seems pretty laid back, pretty casual. And they’re just talking. And Adam says,

Kenzie (Adam):

Okay, so they were in different positions before and Jordan was leaning against the wall and Sam was standing. And I don’t know what happened but they seemed to have come to a conclusion that they should switch and I’m sure Sam just said, “Hey can we switch?” because he’s like pretty much like that.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, yeah, you know, honestly it’s going way better than I expected. The fact that they’re still talking to one another.

Kenzie (Adam):

Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s like a good sign.

Kenzie (Adam):

I think so too.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Uh, we shouldn’t interfere then. If this was going bad then I was thinking maybe we go and try but like –

Kenzie (Adam):

No, no, I think we should definitely interfere.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay, yeah.

Kenzie (Adam):

Let’s go!

Kenzie (MC):

Adam stands up and he goes,

Kenzie (Adam):

Ah, hey Sam, there are you are. Was lookin’ for ya.

Kenzie (MC):

And like pats Sam on the shoulder and Sam goes,

Kenzie (Sam):

You told me to come talk –

Kenzie (Adam):

No! I didn’t – Sam –

Kenzie (MC):

And Jordan’s like,

Kenzie (Jordan):

Hey, Adam.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sam, I think you dropped your wallet back there but I got it. I put it in the car. There’s just hundreds of dollars of bills falling out of it.

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t think that’s my wallet.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, it’s definitely your wallet.

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t think I’ve had a hundred dollar bill in my life, Sawyer.

Brennan (Sawyer):

It had your ID in it. And your fake. You don’t want to lose that.

Kenzie (Sam):

Did you make me a fake ID and put it in my wallet?

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, no, that’s your wallet. You’ve had a fake.

Kenzie (MC):

Jordan looks really amused by this. Sam looks like he has no idea what’s going on and Jordan looks like she knows exactly what’s going on.

Kenzie (Jordan):

You guys don’t have to worry. It’s all good.

Brennan (Sawyer):

(blowing through lips) We wouldn’t be worried about anything, right Adam?

Kenzie (Adam):

I don’t think I was worried about anything I was just coming over to see how everybody was doing!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Say hi. Yep.

Kenzie (Adam):

Hello, hello.

Brennan (Sawyer):

And now that we’ve done that.

Kenzie (Sam):

Oh! Did you guys know that Jordan is already applying to go to Julliard?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Holy shit!

Kenzie (MC):

And Jordan’s like,

Kenzie (Jordan):

It’s not – it’s not – it’s like this early thing where I go for a summer and then if they like me I might get early acceptance. It’s not really that big of a deal.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Uh, that’s a pretty big fucking deal. That would be awesome.

Kenzie (Sam):

I thought so too!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, there’s not anyone better in the school for that.

Kenzie (Jordan):

Well, thank, Sawyer. Thanks, appreciate it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Right, Sam?

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah! I said it thought it was pretty cool. I told her I thought it was cool.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Cool, well –

Kenzie (Jordan):

Um so are you guys going to like leave us alone so we can talk or are you just going to hang out the whole night?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yup!

Brennan:

And I grab Adam’s face and I walk him backwards.

Kenzie (MC):

In the middle of your third song that’s playing with you, Kai and Jane, it’s felt like she has relaxed a little bit. Not like fully, there’s still like certain things, but it just feels like she’s more comfortable with this music, more comfortable with there not being a ton of eyes on her. You’ve been tuned into the house all night – it’s kinda how you always are – so you hear the heavy footsteps of Bast walking up before you hear his voice, but he goes,

Kenzie (Bast):

Hey, Ivy! I just had a question –

Kenzie (MC):

And he stops. And Jane stops at the sound of somebody coming up and pulls quickly away from you.

April:

Ivy looks at her dad with this just like open expression.

April (Ivy):

Hey…

Kenzie (MC):

He is stunned, staring at Jane and Jane is staring back.

Kenzie (Bast):

She can’t be here.

April (Ivy):

Well she is. And I told her I would take care of her.

Kenzie (Bast):

Ivy no, I mean look, she literally cannot be here.

Kenzie (MC):

And Jane’s face has gone completely pale gray and her mouth and her jaw are starting to elongate. Dark circles around her eyes until it’s like her eyes don’t exist. Hair has fallen lank and dry against her face and her teeth are yellowed and her tongue is black as her jaw just literally keeps opening into this horrific visage. And there’s like veins coming to the surface on her neck and you can see what wasn’t there before but was obviously where her throat had been ripped open. The flesh hanging off, flaking. You can see, not blood, but just the remnants of an old shadow of blood start spilling out from her throat but she’s making no noise and her entire body like tenses up, her shoulders rising towards her face until she doesn’t look human anymore. And it’s like she melts away into a dust and disappears from standing in front of you.

April:

Ivy claps a hand over her mouth when this transformation starts to keep herself from screaming. Her eyes go completely wide and she watches as this girl that she just wanted to give a good night to, turns into this horrifying thing and then disappears before her eyes.

Kenzie (MC):

One of the sconces on the wall sparks and then so do the rest of them in the room until all the lights have gone out.

April:

Ivy runs into her dad’s arms.

Kenzie (MC):

He grabs you, pulls you in tight and his head is up looking around. And he goes,

Kenzie (Bast):

She’s in the house now.

April (Ivy):

Like haunting our house?

Kenzie (Bast):

It’s not her fault. But yeah.

April (Ivy):

It’s my fault.

Kenzie (Bast):

You didn’t know better. It’s fine. We’ll figure it out.

Kenzie (MC):

And Kai goes,

Kenzie (Bast):

Oh, that’s interesting.

April (Ivy):

What?

Kenzie (Kai):

I always had thoughts about you Bast, just from things I heard. But she went incorporeal when she saw you so just gonna make a swift connection here.

April (Ivy):

Oh.

April:

Ivy separates from her dad.

Kenzie (MC):

He lets you go.

Kenzie (Bast):

I said I’d stop lying about things so.

April (Ivy):

It was you?

Kenzie (Bast):

Technically.

April (Ivy):

Technically. Do you know about the bus? There’s more people on it. They all you?

Kenzie (Bast):

I would have to, with this evidence, suppose so.

Kenzie (Kai):

Oh, you should always take a curse seriously.

April (Ivy):

A curse?

Kenzie (Bast):

Salem wasn’t the only town of witches and they were not a fan of me. But I did not think they meant that my mistakes would literally follow me. I supposed that was a metaphor for grief and pain and blame that I laid on myself, not that there would be a literal bus full of past misdeeds to haunt me.

April:

Ivy’s been slowly retreating away from her dad. It’s been hard enough working through knowing about Ryan Bishop but Jane was just like her. Jane never got to grow up or even have the one night of freedom that Ivy wanted her to have and there’s still more. And there’s always going to be more, it seems, to find out about her dads and vampires and what Ivy herself is capable of. She just bends down and scoops into her hands whatever she can carry of Jane’s ashes and without looking at her dad, just says,

April (Ivy):

Kai, will you help me find something to put these in?

Kenzie (MC):

Kai says yes to you, looks at your dad once more and says,

Kenzie (Kai):

For what it’s worth, I don’t believe it’s your fault. Doesn’t mean you’re not going to be the one to answer for it.

Kenzie (MC):

And then follows you.

April:

I go up to my room and I take a jewelry box I have. It’s just a small white box and I dump the jewelry out of it onto the floor and as gently as I can, like funnel what’s left of Jane into the box. But her ashes kind of stick to my skin and I like frantically rub at my skin trying to get it all off but my hands stay blackened gray and the smell on them is something I have never smelled before. And with the franticness of the movement, I start to kinda hyperventilate.

Kenzie (MC):

Kai is in front of you with a towel from your bathroom, trying to wipe it off of your hands. And it comes off a little bit onto the towel.

April (Ivy):

I don’t want to be this.

Kenzie (Kai):

Neither did he. But that doesn’t change it that he is.

April (Ivy):

How can I be expected to just deal with this every time it happens?

Kenzie (Kai):

I can expound on some true nature bullshit and all of that but I don’t really that’s going to help anybody. And I still stick by what I said. I think everybody needs all of this to be done. Maybe this should be the last reprieve we have, which I guess it wasn’t really one.

April (Ivy):

What do you mean?

Kenzie (Kai):

Halloween party. Once this is over. Maybe that’s it. Maybe we don’t try to forget or ignore what’s really happening and maybe we look the impending doom in the face.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I guess you’re right. Can I ask you something?

Kenzie (Kai):

Sure.

April (Ivy):

It’s not about impending doom.

Kenzie (Kai):

Well, it’s still Halloween so we haven’t broken our rule yet.

April (Ivy):

Uh, do you like me?

Kenzie (MC):

She sits down on the edge of the bed.

Kenzie (Kai):

I think there are two you so it depends on which one you’re asking about.

April (Ivy):

You only like one?

Kenzie (Kai):

I’m not the biggest fan of House kid Ivy Duncan, but I like vampire Ivy.

April (Ivy):

Vampire Ivy is a lot harder to be. But you do?

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah.

April:

Ivy’s like almost holding her breath.

April (Ivy):

Why?

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t know. I wasn’t planning to.

April (Ivy):

I think that makes sense because I think vampire Ivy likes you too.

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, that House kid’s really holding her back.

April (Ivy):

I know how to be her! It’s like I know how to be with Adam. It’s so easy and he’s so – it’s like breathing. I don’t have to think about it. I don’t have to worry that it’s going to disappear or change. I’ve just – I’ve always loved him and he’s always loved me and it –

Kenzie (Kai):

Well, I mean kinda sounds like you’re just giving into that so couldn’t you maybe just give into the other thing too? And then maybe they would become closer to being one person than two?

April (Ivy):

I just don’t know if I can be both at the same time.

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t think you’ve ever tried. And what does it mean being both? Maybe it’s just one but you’re not letting yourself be whole. And I don’t mean, by that, that you’re going to go on some killing rampage through Wildmoore.

April (Ivy):

I could.

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t think so. You don’t want to so badly that I don’t think it could happen.

April:

Ivy covers her face with her hands.

April (Ivy):

But I don’t know. That’s the thing. I could! I could at any point. I could go downstairs, right now and kill every person down there. I don’t want that!

Kenzie (Kai):

You could but you won’t. And I don’t think giving in a little bit to this other thing, means you stop thinking for yourself. I think it means you just start accepting it as part of yourself.

April (Ivy):

So how do I give into it?

Kenzie (Kai):

Stop hating it. You’re so against it entirely. Everything about it.

April (Ivy):

You saw what happened to Jane. My dad did that to her.

Kenzie (Kai):

Technically.

April (Ivy):

Why do you both keep saying that?

Kenzie (Kai):

Well, I was making a bad joke about him saying it but why is it only one and why is it every decade? Why haven’t ten people died every week in Wildmoore?

April (Ivy):

It’s really that consistent? It’s one every decade. So, like a sacrifice?

Kenzie (Kai):

Maybe.

April (Ivy):

Like it’s feeding something else almost. My head hurts. I know it’s stupid. My dads never get headaches, they don’t even remember what it feels like. But I’ve been getting them a lot recently because of this thing and, um, there’s just a lot of noise in my head and a lot of things to think about. You jealous?

Kenzie (Kai):

Of what?

April (Ivy):

Adam?

Kenzie (Kai):

No. That choice is yours, not mine. It would be a waste of my energy to be jealous about something you didn’t even know yourself.

April (Ivy):

It just really feels like I’m split in half. You’re different. There’s just something about you! I think about you a lot.

Kenzie (Kai):

Ivy, I stand outside of your window like every single night so I don’t know who wins this round.

April (Ivy):

I like thinking about you watching me. I know, I know you think it’s creepy. But it makes me feel safe. It makes me feel seen. It’s pretty hot, I don’t know. I want you to see me. I want you to be thinking about me.

Kenzie (MC):

Pushes herself of the bed and walks to the door of your bedroom and you hear the lock click. And she turns back around.

Kenzie (Kai):

I think maybe party’s over for you tonight.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I think so too.

Kenzie (Kai):

And I can stay, or I can go.

April:

Ivy’s breathing gets deep and she looks nervous but she stands up slowly and approaches Kai and looks up at her and says,

April (Ivy):

Please stay.

Kenzie (MC):

It’s like everybody is converging on one point. Bast is walking back toward the room that Adam and Sawyer originally saw him go in with William. You guys are walking towards them. You see Gabriel coming down the stairwell and around the corner and you see your dad trying to exit. And also, in the middle of all of this, another door opens and you see somebody slip out and shut it and pause for a second. And then they turn and they just stop and all of you are staring at them. And Bast goes,

Kenzie (Bast):

I think that door was locked before.

Kenzie (MC):

And you see Farrow, standing, having absolutely just tried to pretend they weren’t in that room. In their hands holding a smashed camera and while they’re surrounded by seven people, their eyes are trained on only one: William. And Sawyer, you see he had turned and he had seen Farrow and he froze, seemingly stunned. He’s staring back at Farrow as if he’s seeing a ghost. And Farrow just kinda sigh and says,

Ashley Westover (Farrow Smith):

Hey, Dad.

Kenzie:

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